Let's break your rules

I've been curious about AI Ethics for a long time, especially so when the ChatGPT emerged in November 2022.

Many of you will already know that FranklyAI 's mission statement is "No voice left behind". Part of being effective in pursuing that mission is bringing the highest standards of ethics and transparency.

But as the power of AI has increased, does AI now provide opportunities for good that may appear to break those rules? Perhaps we must now rethink our intuition around the best rules for AI.

The city of New York has always been a melting pot of cultures, ethnicities, and languages. With a diverse population comes the responsibility of ensuring that every resident has equal access to information, especially regarding crucial city services. The current mayor of New York, in a pioneering move, has taken an innovative approach to bridge the communication gap by using a clone of his voice, translated into multiple languages, to "robocall" residents and inform them about various services.

I think that the use of AI in such an application is commendable, in fact adding a feedback mechanism to better understand citizens would live out my mission. The mayor's initiative strives to make no residents feel left out, irrespective of their linguistic background. By leveraging advanced AI technology, the mayor's office has been able to convey essential messages at scale, ensuring they are informed of city services when needed.

This initiative does pose some ethical questions. Does using a clone of the mayor's voice in languages he doesn't speak break the idea of authenticity? On the one hand, residents hear a familiar voice reaching out to them in their first language, which can foster trust. On the other hand, knowing that the mayor doesn't actually speak these languages might raise concerns about authenticity and truthfulness.

Despite great minds, AI ethics will naturally tend to lag not lead. The mayor's initiative brings to light a critical aspect of this discussion - sometimes, to see AI's vast potential and benefits, we might have to tread into the grey areas of ethics.

I become less happy every day about how OpenAI is ignoring ethical discussions and releasing ever more powerful AI without preparation or warning. I see the ethical dangers of AI becoming more around the unintended consequences of extremely powerful AI.

I like the mayor's initiative. Leadership in 'AI for Good' will need to break some rules.