How does an AI become racist? The impacts of AI Democratization

Artificial Intelligence has been taking on new forms and usability by companies of different sizes and segments. Of the issues surrounding the subject, AI Democratization stands out and can affect most businesses in a few years.

Despite the global impact of covid-19 on the economy, 47% of investments in Artificial Intelligence have not changed. On the contrary, 30% of companies plan to increase these investments, according to research by Gartner. Only 16% temporarily suspended and 7% decreased.

AI Democratization: what is it and how does it work?

Democratization is the idea of ​​everyone enjoying the benefits and opportunities of a resource. When it comes to technology, Democratizing Artificial Intelligence means making intelligence and tools accessible to all companies, and to all people in companies.

The future of AI is to perceive patterns, make predictions, learn and improve by taking actions with more intelligence. For enthusiasts, AI is a tool that can help anyone achieve better results.

AI democratization aims to make Artificial Intelligence a subject more accessible to people, and no longer an exclusive subject of experts. This includes involving customers, partners, executives, salespeople, developers, IT operators in AI applications, in short, the entire ecosystem of the company needs to be aware of the issue.

This should not happen out of solidarity. If an engineer learns to use AI, he can add his own knowledge to generate more stability, security and applicability. An engineer complements AI, as well as other professions, and this will help to scale the results of the technology.

What state of AI Democratization today?

Artificial Intelligence, today, is restricted to a few companies. Usually small technology startups or large companies with a lot of capital, which use AI in sophisticated ways to prevent fraud and assist in strategic decisions.

While Big Techs are way ahead, the industry may wonder if other segments can really benefit from AI. Until then, what can be said is that the more data a company has, the more intelligence it gets – and that translates into revenue.

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The Problems of AI Democratization

The idea sounds perfect, doesn’t it? The more people who have access to tools and knowledge, the more innovations will emerge. Efficiency increases and engagement improves.

But in reality, Democratization of Artificial Intelligence can bring with it some problems. The immediate problem is: the quality of the data becomes uncertain. The combination of people with a basic level in AI and automated tools, as it should be in the near future, can generate a relevant amount of low quality data.

There are also more serious and long-standing problems. An AI system built by someone without proper training, or that is operated without best practices, can create quite dangerous systems. Worse, these problems may not become evident until the system has already been implemented.

Intensified problems with the AI Democratization

According to PwC, more than 40% of jobs may disappear or change drastically before 2030. The very dynamics of companies change. In a study made by HBR, it is noted that, in this scenario, the decision-making process will also be democratized. The decision, which was previously exclusive to the leaders, can be diluted among the employees who have the knowledge.

Another notable problem with AI is the focus on white men, so the data on blacks and women is quite limited. How to trust data that was not made for your profile?

These practices, in reality, can perpetuate social problems in an even more dramatic way – because now without a body, without a “culprit” that can be combated.

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