It’s probably fair to say that AI is in the ‘trough of disillusionment’ part of the Gartner Hype Cycle, given the difficulties it’s had in meeting the lofty expectations of supporters.  Throughout the last few years, various austere bodies have highlighted the need for AI to develop in ways that benefits all of society.  The latest to add its thoughts to the mix is a new report from Qatar University, which highlights how unregulated AI is a significant threat to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The authors believe this is a particular risk in developing nations, where regulations are not as stringent, due in part to the desire for those nations to attract the leading technology firms.

The paper highlights three examples of how unregulated AI can harm the SDGs.  The first of these involves SDG 16, which aims to tackle corruption, terrorism, and organized crime.  The authors worry that AI can be misused by criminals to organize crime or launder money.

The paper also highlights the risk of AI distorting SDG 8, which aims to increase public access to financial services.  While AI is often used by financial institutions to make banking easier and more efficient, it can also embed biases that restrict access for certain minorities.

Lastly, the paper examines SDG 10, whose goal is to bolster equal opportunity.  The authors argue that while AI can be used by firms to create job opportunities in developing countries, this might also come with a threat to smaller businesses and local firms.

“The risks of AI to the society and the possible detriments to sustainable development can be severe if not managed correctly,” the authors write. “On the flip side, regulating AI can be immensely beneficial to development, leading to people being more productive and more satisfied with their employment and opportunities.”

Supporting sustainable development

Of course, things are not all bad, and a recent study from KTH Royal Institute of Technology suggests that AI has actually played a significant role in our meeting of the UN’s 17 sustainable development goals established in 2015.

The Sustainable Development Goals are themselves broken down into 169 individual targets that cover a wide range of issues from the environment to economics and society.  The paper argues that 134 of these targets could benefit significantly from AI, with the remainder weakened by the involvement of AI.

The authors believe that urban dwellers are especially likely to gain from the deployment of AI, as they suggest it will make cities safer and more inclusive while also improving urban air pollution.  The technology also holds significant promise in terms of lifting people out of poverty and providing cleaner, more affordable energy.  The flip side is that AI will require huge amounts of energy to power the data centers that underpin the technology.

Social justice

AI is slightly riskier in areas such as political stability, economic inequality, treatment of minorities and unbiased elections, with the paper highlighting the need for ethical scrutiny and transparency in the development of AI if these risks are to be overcome.

“There’s an underlying risk of prejudice when AI evaluates and predicts human behavior,” the authors explain.

They also urge caution in terms of the impact AI can have on political stability at both a global and local level, and believe that legislative frameworks will be required to help ensure that AI doesn’t have any nefarious side effects and that society as a whole benefits.

“Regulatory oversight should be preceded by regulatory insight, where policymakers have sufficient understanding of AI challenges to be able to formulate sound policy. Developing such insight is even more urgent than oversight, since policy formulated without understanding is likely to be ineffective at best and counterproductive at worst,” they conclude.