Warnings about Risks in Algorithms

Quite interesting view.  But it exists in all analytic systems.    Not much mention of my favorite warning, changes in context over time.    And that's just one kind of 'bad AI'.   Seen it in many applications over the years.   All analytics is good only in a given, chosen context, and you have the responsibility to choose wisely.  And that is just one kind of unintended consequences ...

Google and Microsoft warn investors that bad AI could harm their brand
As AI becomes more common, companies’ exposure to algorithmic blowback increases  By James Vincent in TheVerge

For companies like Google and Microsoft, artificial intelligence is a huge part of their future, offering ways to enhance existing products and create whole new revenue streams. But, as revealed by recent financial filings, both firms also acknowledge that AI — particularly biased AI that makes bad decisions — could potentially harm their brands and businesses.

These disclosures, spotted by Wired, were made in the companies’ 10-K forms. These are standardized documents that firms are legally required to file every year, giving investors a broad overview of their business and recent finances. In the segment titled “risk factors,” both Microsoft and Alphabet, Google’s parent company, brought up AI for the first time.

From Alphabet’s 10-K, filed last week:

“[N]ew products and services, including those that incorporate or utilize artificial intelligence and machine learning, can raise new or exacerbate existing ethical, technological, legal, and other challenges, which may negatively affect our brands and demand for our products and services and adversely affect our revenues and operating results.” .... '