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The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence: What Happens When Machines Make Moral Decisions?
Ethical AI: A Human Challenge
Imagine this: you’re sitting in a self-driving car. Suddenly, a child runs into the street. The car has a choice: swerve into a wall, risking your life, or keep going, which could hurt the child. You don’t get to decide — the car does.
This might sound like science fiction, but it’s not. Machines like self-driving cars, healthcare robots, and AI-powered tools are already making decisions that affect people’s lives. This raises an important question: How do we make sure these decisions are ethical? Let’s dive into this fascinating topic and explore the challenges, ideas, and possibilities.
What Is AI, and Why Does It Need Ethics?
First, let’s talk about Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI is a type of technology that can think, learn, and make decisions. It powers things like voice assistants, recommendation systems, and even medical diagnosis tools.
But unlike humans, AI doesn’t have feelings or a moral compass. It doesn’t know what’s “right” or “wrong.” Instead, it follows instructions or learns patterns from data. This can be a problem because decisions often involve ethical questions — questions about fairness, safety…