A short introduction to the ethics of artificial intelligence

This introduction outlines in section I.1 some of the key issues in the study of the ethics of artificial intelligence (AI) and proposes ways to take these discussions further. Section I.2 discusses key concepts in AI, machine learning, and deep learning. Section I.3 considers ethical issues that arise because current machine learning is data hungry; is vulnerable to bad data and bad algorithms; is a black box that has problems with interpretability, explainability, and trust; and lacks a moral sense. Section I.4 discusses ethical issues that arise because current machine learning systems may be working too well and human beings can be vulnerable in the presence of these intelligent systems. Section I.5 examines ethical issues arising out of the long-term impact of superintelligence such as how the values of a superintelligent AI can be aligned with human values. Section I.6 presents an overview of the essays in this volume.