Machine Learning & Cultural Heritage

The extensive use of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Big Data, apart from several ethical issues, can led to some relevant drawbacks. As an example, let’s consider “nudging”. The concept of nudge is already used in digital systems even if the nature of the mechanisms that characterise it is not always consistent, and some uses overflow into practices already prohibited by current legislation. In fact, the use of even “slight” and often morally irrelevant manipulations of the architecture of the decision is constrained both in the use of personal data to be able to construct a nudge mechanism and if the desired result falls within the category of fraudulent transactions . The progress of AI has made it possible to develop much more powerful nudge mechanisms thanks to the effectiveness of statistical and inferential AI systems. The impact of AI powered technology on human autonomy is huge. AI-enhanced nudges reinforce the ability to achieve the designer goals using cognitive biases, emotional impulses, and other human behavioural mechanisms both intentionally and unintentionally. If on one side the whole architecture is based on cyber tech, with all the potential risks it implies, on the other side cyber-world rules have can express a power that no one of the “rules” in history had, information and big data are the assets to be analysed, influenced, reused. Some authors call them “the new oil” but this type of “oil” can be used, abused, and misused many times. The science fiction "Ingsoc " or "Cyberdyne " now rule thanks to "algorithms" and “neural networks”.