Artificial intelligence for human flourishing – Beyond principles for machine learning

TLDR

Artificial intelligence offers technical and economic benefits, yet legal, social, and ethical challenges make it difficult to capture and measure its overall impact. The study aims to present findings and implications from a multi‑dimensional AI analysis covering 10 case studies, five scenarios, ethical impact, human rights, and technical threat assessments. The authors conducted a multi‑dimensional study with 10 case studies, five scenarios, and analyses of ethical impact, human rights, and technical threats. They identify three streams of AI ethics discourse—application‑specific issues, societal and political questions, and metaphysical questions—and emphasize the role of human rights principles and legislation in guiding AI toward human flourishing.

Abstract

The technical and economic benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) are counterbalanced by legal, social and ethical issues. It is challenging to conceptually capture and empirically measure both benefits and downsides. We therefore provide an account of the findings and implications of a multi-dimensional study of AI, comprising 10 case studies, five scenarios, an ethical impact analysis of AI, a human rights analysis of AI and a technical analysis of known and potential threats and vulnerabilities. Based on our findings, we separate AI ethics discourse into three streams: (1) specific issues related to the application of machine learning, (2) social and political questions arising in a digitally enabled society and (3) metaphysical questions about the nature of reality and humanity. Human rights principles and legislation have a key role to play in addressing the ethics of AI. This work helps to steer AI to contribute to human flourishing.