The real risks of artificial intelligence

The real risks of artificial intelligence Getty Images Fears of a robot apocalypse mask the actual problems that we face by increasingly letting our lives be run by algorithms Upcoming event The World-Changing Ideas Summit This story is part of a series inspired by the subjects and speakers appearing at BBC Future’s World-Changing Ideas Summit in Sydney on 15 November. Find out more about the inspiring people coming to the meeting, including: Psychologist Alex Gillespie on what artificial intelligence means for us Researcher Helen Christensen on how tech can spot and treat mental health issues BBC TV presenter Michael Mosley on the science of food and health Uber’s Kevin Corti on the hidden patterns of city transport Researcher and TV presenter Emma Johnston on the impact of cities on oceans Experimental architect Rachel Armstrong on interstellar travel Astronauts Ron Garan and Andrew Thomas + many more If you believe some AI-watchers, we are racing towards the Singularity – a point at which artificial intelligence outstrips our own and machines go on to improve themselves at an exponential rate. Getty Images Artificial intelligence could soon be indispensable to healthcare, diagnosing conditions such as eye disease and cancer from medical scans Artificial intelligence is also being used to analyse vast amounts of molecular information looking for potential new drug candidates – a process that would take humans too long to be worth doing. Getty Images Algorithms are being used to make life-changing decisions such as when prisoners should be given parole, but they are only as good as the data we feed them As AIs are rolled out to assess everything from your credit rating to suitability for a job you are applying for to criminals’ chance of reoffending, the risks that they will sometimes get it wrong – without us necessarily knowing – get worse.