AI: Impact and Ethics for Digital Creators

The name alone can generate suspicion for people who are unfamiliar with Artificial Intelligence. When technology begins to surpass our own abilities to sift through information, process data, and even use creativity (is that possible?), it's easy to see how some fear the worst. And yet, other voices are hailing AI to be the greatest invention ever made.

We believe that there can be small truths within both extremes. But whether business owners wish to take charge or take cover, we must learn what we’re up against.

What are the ethics of AI?

As with every technological advancement, the development of AI is creating gray areas and questions. Here are some of the top ethical concerns that could affect digital organizations.

Accuracy

Because programs like ChatGPT rely on vast amounts of data, factual errors can—and will—occur. The quality of every output is completely dependent on the quality of the parameters it was given. Therefore, as the sizes of these neural networks get even larger, inaccuracies and biases are likely to increase as well.

ChatGPT will not usually cite sources unless asked to do so. Regardless of citations, companies should still perform a thorough review of all the content to identify inaccuracies or unnatural speech.

Ownership

There is no final word on authorship and ownership of AI-generated content. Material created by ChatGPT is currently public domain. However, some are arguing that ownership belongs to other entities like the developers of the software, the users of the AI tool, or even the original authors of derivative work. It will likely fall to the courts to standardize this area when copyright claims are challenged.

Companies can avoid confusion by disclosing any use of generative AI, whether in written copy or images. Although non-human resources like ChatGPT or DALL-E do not qualify as authors, some style guides are now providing recommendations for citing AI programs as a research or design tool.

Click Bait, Spam, and Fluff

With generative AI on the rise, some are questioning the integrity of digital content at large. Will AI content clutter the SERPs with unchecked claims written solely for ranking? Will artificially-generated images sneak their way into click bait headlines? Will spam and phishing attacks become more widespread and harder to spot? Unfortunately, the answer is probably yes.
The good news: AI-powered tools are also being employed to filter spam and protect against cyber attacks. 

Job Security

Many critics of AI technology fear that job security could be threatened due to the automation of content writing, code writing, and data science. On the macro scale, this prediction may indeed come true as markets change. Yet we can be confident that new jobs will be created just as quickly.

Companies can pivot their resources elsewhere and pair humans with machines for even deeper insights.

Should we worry?

In short, the implications and opportunities surrounding AI can be as complex as the technology itself. However, we must remember that the human-like abilities it possesses are only thanks to human programming.

This much is certain: as quickly as AI causes issues, people will invent new solutions.

Look back to historical innovations as an example. When cameras first reached the public, artists were upset. But for all the fear that photography would destroy art, culture carried on and made room for them both. Impressionist art grew, imagining the world in new ways as photography developed, becoming an art form of its own. Likewise, AI will transform the landscape in more ways than we can predict—perhaps on a larger scale due to the global nature of the internet.

Picasso did not quit because of the camera—his work was made even better by the tools he took advantage of. At Cyberwoven, we have that same hope for all the work that we do. We want to make the most of the available resources for the benefit of our clients and community.

Do you see an opportunity for your company to latch on to these advancements? Let us help.