KIT Expert on Current Topic of Artificial Intelligence: “We insist that people continue to have the final word.”
In March, the German Ethics Council published its statement “Man and Machine – Challenges posed by Artificial Intelligence”. The 287-page document examines the impact of digital technologies on human self-image and social interaction. (Source: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology – Press Releases)
“The Ethics Council makes a strong case for the role of humans as consciously acting beings with intentions and freedom and concludes from this that there are rules for dealing with AI,” explains Professor Armin Grunwald of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) from the Helmholtz Research Field Information. As a member of the Ethics Council, Grunwald was a member of the multidisciplinary working group “Man/Machine”, which was in charge of drafting the statement. In particular, he contributed his expertise on technological change, technology assessment and digital transformation.
A common thread in the Ethics Council’s statement is the question of what the consequences are when activities are delegated to machines – especially decisions that were previously reserved for humans. This, it argues, threatens the value, indeed the very possibility, of human “authorship.” “We insist that humans continue to have the last word,” emphasizes Grunwald, who holds a professorship for the philosophy of technology at KIT as well as heads the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS) there. “Our particular concern is the so-called ‘automation bias’, i.e. the tendency that people tend to believe the results of automated decision support more than human considerations. In this way, there could be a creeping loss of human autonomy and freedom.”
Inspired by the German Bundestag with the participation of its former president Wolfgang Schäuble, the Council has developed an orientation for society and politics in more than two years and a multitude of consultations that goes far beyond many existing ethical guidelines regarding AI: “Instead of just looking at which abstract values and norms AI applications should follow, the Ethics Council places a clearly formulated image of humanity at the beginning of its considerations. According to this, AI remains a means to ends set by humans, but does not become an end in itself,” says Grunwald, who also heads the Office of Technology Assessment at the German Bundestag (TAB), which is run by ITAS.
Thus, even AI support for decisions previously made by humans based on their expertise, and even the complete delegation of decisions to AI systems (automated decision-making), can (and should) ultimately serve human autonomy, Grunwald says. “Admittedly, it must be ensured that there is neither discrimination, for example in the security sector or in social services, nor that the human dimension of the individual case is lost. Machines must not be allowed to decide human fates according to the rules programmed into them by their manufacturers without expert human control.”
At the same time, the Karlsruhe-based technology researcher pleads for differentiated and case-related assessments when dealing with artificial intelligence: “Instead of praising or criticizing AI across the board, instead of cultivating utopian expectations or fearing the demise of humans, ethical care is just as important for each individual AI application as taking into account the particular circumstances in each case. In vital application areas such as medicine, education, administration, and public communication and opinion-forming,” says Grunwald, “we see diverse potential for AI systems to put people’s actions and decisions on a better footing, for example through targeted data evaluation and decision preparation.”
KIT/J. Moosmüller, 24.03.2023
The original press release can be found at:
Armin Grunwald: „Wir bestehen darauf, dass Menschen weiterhin das letzte Wort haben.“ (only in german)
The statement can be found at:
Mensch und Maschine – Herausforderungen durch Künstliche Intelligenz (only in german)
Localization in the Helmholtz Research Field Information:
Helmholtz Research Field Information, Program 1: Engineering Digital Futures, Topic 4: Knowledge for Action
Contact:
Armin Grunwald
Head of the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS)
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
Phone: +49 721 608 22500
E-Mail: armin.grunwald@kit.edu
Contact for this press release:
Jonas Moosmüller
ITAS – Public Relations
Karlsruher Institute of Technology (KIT)
Phone: +49 721 608 26796
E-Mail: jonas.moosmueller@kit.edu
