Rules to encourage well behaved artificial intelligence | Artificial intelligence

Everything that we have achieved is driven by set of rules. The driving agents can be different, some weigh values over power, conscience over greed, but we can never deny the negative exists too.

First, adopt a voluntary, consumer-led certification standard for commercial AI akin to the Fairtrade stamp for coffee. I call it the ‘Turing Certificate’, in honour of Alan Turing, the persecuted father of AI. It won’t stop criminals and rogue states but it will help with the smartphones and home assistants we choose to purchase.

Second, adopt the ‘Golden Rule’ proposed by the head of Australia’s Department of Home Affairs, Michael Pezzullo: that no one should be deprived of their fundamental rights, privileges or entitlements by a computer rather than an accountable human.

Third, never forget that AI is not actually human. It is a technology. We made it. We are in charge. Hence I propose the ‘Platinum Rule’: that every AI should have an off switch.

These are wonderful ambitions, only if people responsible for developing such a technology are true to their motives and transparent. One way I see that happening is by sharing every success on a common global platform. This would aim at keeping checks, bringing in fresh ideas, keeping everybody at par but most importantly, it will be a fair chance to innovate something that is going to change the dimension of our existence.

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