Microsoft CEO wants accountability for artificial intelligence

Nadella expresses his concerns about AIs going rampant and dominating our lives. He wants accountability to be built in into the code to help prevent this nightmare scenario from happening. Image Microsoft

With the increased pace in research to develop artificial intelligence, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella expressed his concern about the power that AI systems have over human lives.

“The tech industry should not dictate the values and virtues of this work,” Nadella said, according to Technology Review.

Nadella called for an “algorithmic accountability so that humans can undo unintended harm.” He said smart software should allow humans to inspect its inner workings and prevent discrimination or abuse of private information.

While his concern is valid, it overlooks the algorithms that are already in place and being utilized by companies to deliver curated content to millions of individuals. These are algorithms that learn the internet habits of users to determine which content is best for them to consume.

While we are still far from creating “smart” AI the likes of Skynet from the Terminator movies or Cortana from Microsoft’s own Halo game franchise, Nadella stressed that artificial intelligence should be within an ethical and emphatic framework. Alfred Bayle