AI Ethics
Definition
The branch of applied ethics examining the moral implications and societal impacts of artificial intelligence, encompassing fairness, transparency, accountability, privacy, and human welfare.
AI ethics addresses the broad societal questions raised by increasingly powerful AI systems. Key concerns include algorithmic bias and discrimination, job displacement and economic inequality, privacy and surveillance, autonomous weapons, deepfakes and misinformation, concentration of power among a few AI companies, and environmental impact of training large models. Ethical frameworks for AI are being developed by governments (EU AI Act, US Executive Order on AI), professional organizations (IEEE, ACM), and companies (Google's AI Principles, Anthropic's RSP). The field bridges philosophy, law, computer science, and social science. Practical AI ethics involves bias audits, impact assessments, stakeholder engagement, transparent documentation, and governance structures. The rapid pace of AI development continuously raises new ethical challenges that require ongoing attention.
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