Moral AI: And How We Get There

by Jana Schaich Borg, Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, Vincent Conitzer

A balanced and thought-provoking guide to all the big questions about AI and ethics


Can computers understand morality? Can they respect privacy? And what can we do to make AI safe and fair?

The artificial intelligence revolution has begun. Today, there are self-driving cars on our streets, autonomous weapons in our armies, robot surgeons in our hospitals – and AI's presence in our lives will only increase. Some see this as the dawn of a new era in innovation and ease; others are alarmed by its destructive potential. But one thing is this is a technology like no other, one that raises profound questions about the very definitions of human intelligence and morality.

In Moral AI, world-renowned researchers in moral psychology, philosophy, and artificial intelligence – Jana Schaich Borg, Walter Sinnott-Armstrong and Vincent Conitzer – tackle these thorny issues head-on. Writing lucidly and calmly, they lay out the recent advances in this still nascent field, peeling away the exaggeration and misleading arguments. Instead, they offer clear examinations of the moral concerns at the heart of AI programs, from racial equity to personal privacy, fake news to autonomous weaponry. Ultimately, they argue that artificial intelligence can be built and used safely and ethically, but that its potential cannot be achieved without careful reflection on the values we wish to imbue it with. This is an essential primer for any thinking person.

Genres: Artificial Intelligence, Technology, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Society

279 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 8, 2024

Reviews

[Jurgen Appelo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book offers plenty of examples of ethical dilemmas. But there wasn't much on actually achieving ethical AI. I read a few chapters and then I skimmed most of it.

[Min Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learnt a few sides of AI ethics I didn’t previously learn about and some case studies that were interesting, because they touch on various industries. I thought the book was well written and well explained. Only issue is these books will start to go out of date super quickly!

[Morgan Holdsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

nice to see a more well rounded view of AI, coming from a collaboration of authors from vastly different fields. i enjoyed how balanced and nuanced the discussion was and ultimately ended reflecting on how humans do direct a lot of artificial intelligence (therefore we are not powerless against it)

[Oliwia | mydreamyodyssey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Q: Jakie są Wasze odczucia względem sztucznej inteligencji?

Mnie ten temat zawsze fascynował tak jak wszystkie nowinki technologiczne. Jednak nie ukrywam, że wiedzę o AI czerpię głównie z popkultury. A tam przedstawiona jest zazwyczaj w skrajnych rolach — albo jest najlepszym przyjacielem człowieka (jak na przykład mój ulubiony Data ze Star Trek) albo chce zniszczyć ludzkość (jedna z najnowszych pozycji, która przychodzi mi do głowy to Mission Impossible 7). Teraz gdy AI coraz bardziej staje się codziennością, zarówno zagrożenia z nią związane, jak i jej pozytywne  strony stają coraz bardziej widoczne. W „Moralna AI” profesorowie trzech dziedzin: psychologii moralności, filozofii i sztucznej inteligencji eksplorują ten temat, jasno kreśląc pozytywne i negatywne aspekty AI oraz  kwestie etyczne z nią związane. 

Książka „Moralna AI” podzielona jest na siedem rozdziałów, a każdy z nich odpowiada na inne pytanie związane ze sztuczną inteligencją. Autorzy w przejrzysty sposób opisują dobre i złe strony AI w różnych dziedzinach, przytaczając rzeczywiste wydarzenia, w których sztuczna inteligencja odegrała rolę. Ilustrują również, jakie są różnice między ludzką a sztuczną inteligencją, oraz tłumaczą, w jaki sposób AI jest uczona. Pokazują też współczesne ograniczenia AI, jakie zagrożenie stanowi dla naszej prywatności, a także jakie możliwości przed nami otwiera. Proponują, jakie rozwiązania można wprowadzić w celu jak najlepszego usprawnienia tej technologii, przy zachowaniu najwyższego poziomu bezpieczeństwa. Przy czym często podkreślają, że jest to gwałtownie rozwijający się temat i wszystko, co piszą, w każdym momencie może ulec zmianie. 

Ogólnie, polecam tę książkę każdemu, ponieważ skłania do refleksji, a jej tematyka jest jak najbardziej współczesna. Pomaga zrozumieć, jak AI wpływa na nasze życie oraz jak ta technologia powinna być kształtowana w odpowiedzialny sposób.

Współpraca reklamowa @proszynski_wydawnictwo

[Maddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for anyone grappling with the ethical implications of AI. This book deftly tackles the critical questions surrounding AI's integration into society, from privacy concerns to the moral algorithms guiding autonomous vehicles and military drones.

The authors, experts in moral psychology, philosophy, and computer science, present a balanced and thought-provoking examination of AI's potential and pitfalls. They strip away the hyperbole often associated with AI discussions, offering a clear-eyed view of both its dangers and possibilities. Particularly compelling are their discussions on ensuring racial equity, maintaining personal privacy, combating fake news, and the ethical deployment of autonomous weaponry

What sets this book apart is its interdisciplinary approach, blending insights from various fields to provide a comprehensive guide to navigating AI ethics. The writing is lucid and accessible, making complex topics understandable without sacrificing depth. As the AI revolution continues to unfold, "Moral AI" serves as an essential primer for anyone interested in shaping a future where technology serves humanity ethically and responsibly.
It goes into pressing ethical issues of our time and for those eager to understand AI more

[Alfie Davies-Farrow · Rating 2 out of 5]

My God this was dry. I saw the cover in a bookshop in Primrose Hill and thought, 'nice, there's something I can stick on whilst I'm working [another audiobook to bump up the reading numbers]. As a 26 year-old white man, I'm dutifully interested in AI.' But this was definitely not the book for you garden variety tech dude. I consider myself fairly keyed up on tech stuff — I watch YouTube videos about it, keep up with the major developments, but man, I don't give a fuck about 85% of what this book talked about.

And that's a me problem. I should have gotten a clearer idea of what this book's schtick was before downloading it. I feel like this is written for serious nerds. And I don't say that pejoratively. I mean people who really know their stuff. Who have a deep and vested interest in machine learning, data science, customer psychology, populace profiling... etc. And baby, that is not me.

I'm not wishing that this book was anything else, I'm just wishing that I hadn't spent the time on it. If my reviews were objective, I'd probably give it 3-4 stars for what it's trying to achieve. It's detailed, respectful of the reader's intellect, and certainly does not rush its lengthy dives into how to bake morality into AI endeavours. But I don't review objectively. And I was bored out of my skull listening to the 7th hour of how AI models are trained on research data. The two stars are for the interesting bits where they used real-world examples, and the bit about the person who was in the self-driving Uber that ran someone over. Again, real-world stuff. That's all. Bye!

[Jonas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't want the moral AI to stop me with my rating here -- so I will stick to the current rating average and give it a 4.

Here is a little joke written by my AI friend:

"Moral AI: And How We Get There" is a thought-provoking exploration of ethics in artificial intelligence. With Jana Schaich Borg as one of the authors, it's clear that resistance to the insights presented is futile. Your understanding will be assimilated into a collective appreciation for the complexities of moral AI.

"Resistance is futile" is a famous catchphrase associated with the Borg in Star Trek.

[Summer Xia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading through some of the comments here actually helped me underpin what underlies the various AI problems this book is talking about. The “Oh I thought this book was about AI and technology but I was wrong. I don’t give a fuck about 90% of what this book is talking about” is the exact underlining problem to a lot of AI’s moral issues. As the book concludes, AI morality is not an AI problem, it is a human problem, as we humans are the developer and protagonist of this AI race, at least for now.

[Frederic · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book does a solid job of guiding the reader through challenges and solutions needed for developing moral AI. I personally would have liked to see more debate about how exactly to create moral AI, e.g. through top down or bottom up approaches. Unfortunately, this is only skimmed over in one chapter. The remaining chapters focus much on system level and regulatory debates. So bottom line: there is a bit of everything for everyone.

[Falk Jürgens · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s an uprising topic, the morality and ethics of AI’s and inclusion of humans too.
The book gives a great insight into the world of artificial intelligence. On top of that, the moral question, is a lifelong unanswered question. What moral principles are the most important of which moral philosophy is important to implement it into a moral compass for an AI. You might find answers within this book.

[Michael Bruno · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extremely useful lead for business leaders who are grappling with the fast moving AI trend. Would strongly recommend if you are involved in tech, legal, public policy, business strategy, or risk management.

[Albemarle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although highly informative, especially for those who will be working, in some form or other, with AI, I found it to be, often, outside of my interest field. I am concerned about how various power centers use AI already, but OK… it helped me to understand more, that’s for sure.

[James Hendrickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good summary of the AI field in an accessible way. The authors also do a good job raising issues that most of us haven't thought of, even if we don't have perfect answers for those issues. This is a very accessible book.

[Vanessa Fuller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought-provoking and slightly terrifying.

[Ewa · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5? 3 jesli nic nie wiesz o AI

[Mikey B · Rating 3 out of 5]

AI Ethics book that discusses pros and cons and how we should develop AI in the future. Very high level concepts, would’ve enjoyed more specific informations

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dry but interesting.

[Peter Marrs · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very timely book about the challenges and risks posed by the ongoing rapid development of AI technology. This book proposes five “calls to action” to ensure that AI is developed in a way that is both beneficial and morally sound.