DeepMind’s Cofounder Thinks AI Should Get Ethical in 2018

Mustafa Suleyman, who cofounded Google's deep-learning subsidiary, wants the artificial-intelligence community to focus on ethics in 2018.

His argument: Writing in Wired UK, Suleyman explains that machine learning has the potential to improve or worsen inequalities in the world. To make sure it ends up being a net positive, he says, research into AI ethics needs to be prioritized.

What's been done: This isn't a new concern for Suleyman. DeepMind established its own ethics and society research team earlier this year to work on these sorts of issues. And there are other industry groups, like AI Now and Partnership on AI, that are looking into it too.

What's left to do: A lot. Suleyman writes that we still have to figure out "what ethical AI really means," which is why his ethics and society research team has broad topics to consider, like "transparency" and "inclusion." We'll be lucky to get a definition of ethical AI in 2018—let alone a solution.