The AI stories that made us smile in 2021 — and 5 that made us cry
A love/hate affair with algorithms
10. Bad: Slaughterbots coming to your neighborhood
It was another busy year for AI weaponry. After DARPA testedalgorithm-controlled jetsin dogfights and a robot dog brieflyjoined the French military, we received a warning: “slaughterbots” will soonbe on our streets— unless the UN bans them.
9. Good: Turning the tone-deaf into rap stars
Computational creativity had a big 2021, offering a mix ofinspirationandindignationto human artists. My favorite iteration was an app thatturns your text into rapsby legendary artists. It’s the closest I’ll ever come to spitting like Biggie Smalls — although Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda put my own efforts to shame.
8. Bad: Cops running rampant with AI
If there’s a dystopian application of AI available, there’s a strong chance that the police want to try it.Countless cops can already use blackbox AIto conduct unethicalsurveillance, generate evidence, and swerve constitutional protections — and it’s only going to get worse.
7. Good: Quantum AI could make our planet a paradise
It’s easy to focus on the worst of tech — particularly when you’re as jaded as I am — but there are reasons to be optimistic about the future. One is the potential of quantum AIto fight diseases, war, famine, and aging.
Bad: GPT-3’s bigotry
It wouldn’t be a worst of AI countdown without a mention of biogtry. Unfortunately, this year provided a range of horrors to choose from, fromfears of machine-driven segregationtoFacebook’s racist AI. I’ve plumped for one GPT-3’sarray of prejudices: the model’s “consistent and creativeanti-Muslim bias.” This is one example of computational creativity we could do without.
5. Good: Searching for future diseases
During COVID-19, AI has promised much but delivered little. However, researchers have developed a tool that could help us prepare for the next one: an AI-powered system that identifies diseases that could leapfrom animals to humans.
4. Bad: Dreams of driverless cars dying
Driverless carswere supposed to be dominating the roads by now, but the technical challenges arestill proving hard to solve. The dream hasn’t died just yet, but it’s now on life support.
3. Good: Disrupting the ridiculous hearing aid market
The excitement over scientific breakthroughs and futurology can lead us to overlook some of the AI that can make a difference today. There are numerous examples, from BCIs turning paralyzed peoples’thoughts into speechtothis gadgetfor people with hearing loss.
2. Bad: The Google search algorithm
Sometimes, you need to experience a problem to truly understand it. Neural editor Tristran Greene did just that after discovering thatGoogle News thinks he’sthe queerest AI reporter in the world. That title shouldn’t be a source of shame, but the result was that the algorithm pigeonholed some people and overlooked others. Tristanlater learnedthat he could somewhat game the system — but if he could do it, so could nefarious actors.
1. Good: A new approach to AI ethics
The fallout overTimnit Gebru’s firingfrom Google began last year, but the ramifications rumbled across 2021. The incident sparked concerns about diversity and AI ethics in tech — but it’s also produced positive outcomes. Exactly a year after Gebru lost her job at Google, she announced a new position:founder and executive director of DAIR, a lab that aims to make AI research independent from big tech.It’s an ambitious vision, but it sets a precedent for future ethics institutes.
Here’s hoping that 2022 brings more bold and positive AI developments — before the slaughterbots kill us all.
Story byThomas Macaulay
Thomas is a senior reporter at TNW. He covers European tech, with a focus on AI, cybersecurity, and government policy.Thomas is a senior reporter at TNW. He covers European tech, with a focus on AI, cybersecurity, and government policy.
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