Google's sister concern 'DeepMind' launches new Artificial Intelligence ethics unit

Google’s sister concern DeepMind, that focuses on Artificial Intelligence (AI), announced on Tuesday that it is launching a new ‘Ethics and Society’ unit. The new unit is created to study the impact that AI has on human society.

DeepMind, which was acquired by Google in 2014 is a British company whose works are related to various facets of the AI technology.

In a blog published on the firm’s website announcing the launch, the company stated that AI can be beneficial to society only if it is ethically right.

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Drawing inspiration from history, the blog remarked that only by through active involvement of humans can technological advancements be turned into an asset for the general good.

“As history attests, technological innovation in itself is no guarantee of broader social progress. The development of AI creates important and complex questions. Its impact on society—and on all our lives—is not something that should be left to chance.”

The blog posted by Verity Harding and Sean Legassick, who will lead the new unit, also asserted the responsibilities DeepMind had regarding AI technology,  “… all AI applications should remain under meaningful human control, and be used for socially beneficial purposes. Understanding what this means in practice requires rigorous scientific inquiry into the most sensitive challenges we face.”

The development is significant as questions have been raised about the limits of AI. Concerns have been raised about the probability of AI veering out of human control and chances of its misuse.