Managing the ethical and risk implications of rapid advances in artificial intelligence: A literature review

The development of emergent technologies carries with it ethical issues and risks. We review ways to better manage the ethical issues and risks of one emerging technology: Artificial Intelligence (AI). Depending on how AI's development is managed, it may have beneficial and/or deleterious effects. The processing capacity of Tianhe-2, the world's fastest supercomputer, by some measures, exceeds the processing capacity of a single human brain. but at a prohibitive processing/power consumption ratio and physical size. Given the current pace of AI R&D activities, some estimates in the literature suggest that the technology could become capable of self-determination and super intelligence in only a few decades. This demands a serious analysis of the ethical implications of AI's development and the risks it might pose, in addition to technology management recommendations. We review the state of AI development, the timeline and scope of its possible future development, and potential ethical risks in its implementation. Further, we briefly review ethics and risk management practices as they relate to technology. Finally, we make technology management recommendations, which may help to address the ethical implications and to mitigate existential risks to humanity-with the development and dissemination of AI-by guiding its proper management.