Thank you for an insightful discussion on the benefits and risks of Artificial Intelligence (AI) writers. Your point on the black-box nature of AI tools is noteworthy. The black-box nature of AI models raises legal questions, especially in cases where AI-generated content is used in ways that mislead or deceive people (Endert, 2024). If an AI-generated news article spreads misinformation, who is held liable for harm: the developers, the users, or the AI itself? This ambiguity may lead to gaps in accountability.
The lack of clarity around how AI systems function can enable malicious actors to exploit these technologies for deceptive purposes. OpenAI (2024) recently reported a disruption of more than 20 deceptive operations that attempted to use ChatGPT to generate content posted by fake personas on social media accounts and spread misinformation. While a number of these AI models are proprietary, transparency and adequate warnings on limitations are prioritised. Like OpenAI, sharing research findings, and providing detailed documentation on the capabilities and limitations of their models will help foster trust, (Brown, 2020).
Applying AI concepts in real-world situations can be quite challenging. The use of black box models often creates a gap in our understanding of how the algorithms function and their interpretability (Khemasuwan & Colt, 2021). Applying concepts like Explainable AI (XAI) and other principles of fairness will help with responsible AI use.
References
Brown, T. B. et al. (2020) ‘Language Models are Few-Shot Learners’, arXiv [cs.CL]. Available at: http://arxiv.org/abs/2005.14165.
Endert, J. (2024) Generative AI is the ultimate disinformation amplifier, Deutsche Welle. Available at: https://akademie.dw.com/en/generative-ai-is-the-ultimate-disinformation-amplifier/a-68593890 (Accessed: 17 October 2024).
Khemasuwan, D., & Colt, H. G. (2021). Applications and challenges of AI-based algorithms in the COVID-19 pandemic. BMJ Innovations, 7(2).
OpenAI (2024) Influence and Cyber Operations: An Update. Available at: https://cdn.openai.com/threat-intelligence-reports/influence-and-cyber-operations-an-update_October-2024.pdf.