Towards a Practical Ethics of Generative AI – Geert Hofman, Howest, University College of West-Flanders
Gen AI has enormous potential and could be influencing billions of people in the future. The ethical ramifications are clear to everyone. There is however no need to cancel or pause development in AI for that reason. It is crucial that generative AI systems are transparent concerning their used sources and be evaluated on their output and critical capacity. This leads to the following needs: 1. Labeling systems on the openness of the sources used to generate the output. 2. Openness on the effects on externalities (human, economic and natural capitals). 3. The development of standard tests that can be used to classify generative AI systems to conform to risk classifications used by authorities. This is the goal of our current research project at Howest, Belgium, on “AI in design” (AID) for 3 application domains (creative agencies, industrial product design and marketing/communication). Creating a “moral compass” regarding the use of generative AI systems in specific contexts, where developers and users are able to evaluate the moral standing of AI products and avoid the creation of a censoring system but stimulating the human ethical reflection.
