Science & Technology, New Zealand (Commonwealth Union) – Artificial Intelligence (AI) has rapidly transformed from a futuristic concept into a ubiquitous force shaping our daily lives. From virtual assistants to autonomous vehicles, AI technologies are revolutionizing industries and altering societal norms. However, as AI capabilities continue to advance, questions of ethics, accountability, and regulation loom large. In this context, the necessity for new laws specifically tailored to govern AI has become increasingly apparent.
As AI systems become more integrated into various sectors, ensuring ethical conduct in their development and deployment is paramount. Suggestions have been made that new laws could establish clear ethical guidelines and standards for AI, encompassing principles such as fairness, transparency, accountability, and privacy. These guidelines would provide a framework for developers and users, promoting responsible AI innovation while safeguarding against unethical practices. Regulation for AI has been in much focus from health care to just about every field AI is impacting.
University of Canterbury (UC), researchers are leveraging insights from mathematics and computer science to propose novel regulations for Artificial Intelligence (AI), drawing on real-world examples. Dr. Olivia J. Erdélyi, a Senior Lecturer at UC explains that mathematical modeling can pinpoint legislative gaps, aiding in the development of policies to safeguard society amidst the uncertainty surrounding AI laws.
Dr. Erdélyi, hailing from UC’s Faculty of Law, emphasizes the challenges posed by legal ambiguity, stating that without specific provisions addressing AI-related issues clearly, predicting judicial decisions becomes exceedingly difficult.
Researchers of the study pointed out one illustrative case is the Cambridge Analytica scandal, where a political consulting firm utilized personal data from Facebook to influence a previous United States presidential election. Dr. Erdélyi’s research employs mathematical modeling to demonstrate how anonymized data—information that cannot identify individuals—can be effectively utilized to target and sway swing voters.
“We showed that if you gather separate datasets from individuals and merge them there are connections that AI processing can exploit, turning anonymised data into something identifiable, revealing a gap in privacy and data protection regulation.
“These regulations are only triggered where personally identifiable information is collected and processed, yet the Cambridge Analytica incident shows that a privacy breach with potentially devastating effects is also possible if the data is initially collected in anonymised form.
“The strength of the team’s approach is that they combine maths and computer science with other disciplines to propose policy.”
Dr. Erdélyi emphasizes the necessity of comprehending AI technology to formulate effective policies. She further indicated that while it’s not imperative to grasp every intricate detail of its mathematical underpinnings, a fundamental understanding of its functioning is crucial. Addressing AI-related challenges requires interdisciplinary cooperation and involvement of various stakeholders, underscoring the importance of mutual comprehension and collaborative engagement.
Gábor Erdélyi, an Associate Professor in Mathematics and Statistics at UC and Dr. Erdélyi’s spouse, acknowledges the challenges of interdisciplinary collaboration, despite its advantages.
He further indicated that joining together in paths is not always clear, and communication barriers can hinder efforts significantly. He added that it’s a reciprocal process. Scientists must prioritize conveying highly technical concepts in a manner understandable to non-experts, while policymakers must actively engage and listen to their insights.
Dr. Erdélyi points out that, while awaiting AI legislation, the existing laws can serve as a foundation.
Dr. Erdélyi further indicated that while existing laws can partly address AI-related challenges, it’s crucial to craft new ones to avoid inadequate solutions that may result in various issues.
Although New Zealand has yet to formulate an AI strategy, Dr. Erdélyi emphasizes the importance of establishing domestic policies, while also waiting to draw upon international frameworks where applicable.
Dr. Erdélyi further indicated that it’s a delicate balance: While waiting for international consensus is prudent, they also require enforceable laws at the national level to safeguard individuals, which necessitates local action.
Given the global nature of AI development and deployment, international collaboration and standardization are essential. New laws could facilitate cooperation between nations in developing common frameworks and standards for AI regulation. Establishing international norms would promote consistency and interoperability across borders, enabling the responsible and ethical use of AI on a global scale. However there have also been concerns by civil liberties groups of extreme political bias and the suppression of specific information where authoritarian regimes may use laws suppress their opponents. This would mean that any new law geared towards AI will require rapid scrutiny from individuals of all sides of the political spectrum.
