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Navigate AI Content Ethically: Combating Plagiarism, Bias, and Manipulation

    Last Updated on June 23, 2024

    Is AI-written content reliable? How can you use AI to create content and what questions does it raise? Learn about authorship, bias, privacy, and more.

    A guest article by Ghaidaa Joukhadar.

    AI-generated content is becoming increasingly popular in every field. From writing and art to music and video production, AI is being used by many people to assist their creative endeavours.

    AI tools offer immense potential for creativity and efficiency but at the same time give us pause for thought about the ethical considerations of doing so.

    Understanding and addressing these concerns as AI technology evolves is important if you want to ensure responsible use of AI-generated content.

    The Rise of AI and Its Impact on Content Creation

    One of the most influential figures in artificial intelligence, Geoffrey Hinton, often referred to as the “Godfather of AI,” has made striking predictions about AI. Hinton has warned that AI could surpass human intelligence, making humans the second most intelligent creature on Earth.

    While we are not there yet, Hinton’s perspective underscores the importance of navigating the ethical complexities of AI-generated content as AI’s impact on society continues to grow.

    What will the world look like when AI surpasses human intellect? Will there be a place for human creativity, or will it become obsolete? These pressing questions highlight the urgent need to consider the ethical implications of AI-generated content as we move into an unpredictable future.

    “What will happen to human society and human psychology as AI fights AI in a battle to create intimate relationships with us? Relationships that can then be used to convince us to buy particular products or to vote for particular politicians … the new AI tools would immensely influence human opinions and our world view.”

    AI and the future of humanity | Yuval Noah Harari at the Frontiers Forum

    Who Gets the Credit? Authorship and Ownership in AI Content

    In 2018, a painting created by an AI algorithm called “Edmond de Belamy” was sold at auction for $432,500. This raised questions about who owns the rights to the artwork—the creators of the algorithm, the algorithm itself, or the entity that facilitated the auction.

    If an AI writes your novel, who should be listed as the author? The developer of the AI software, or you who provided the prompts; or no one at all? For instance, OpenAI’s GPT has been used to write essays and stories, but the authorship is often attributed to the human who operated the AI.

    Students should be encouraged to use AI tools, but also to attribute its use. Understanding why a tool was used is an important part of the learning process.

    Use a tool, but use it wisely. And, give credit where credit is due. The concept of Fair Use is when we use a small amount of a product, we don’t change the intent of what we are using, and we give credit where credit is due. In other words, don’t pass off other content as your own – even if it’s from a machine.

    Read More: Using AI-Generated Content on Your Website

    Can AI Be Truly Original? Exploring Creativity in AI-Generated Content

    AI can produce music in the style of famous composers, like the AI-generated continuation of Beethoven’s unfinished 10th Symphony. However, this replication lacks the emotional depth and originality of human creativity. 

    AI text generators can produce content that closely mimics existing works too. For example, an AI-generated piece might inadvertently replicate parts of copyrighted texts, leading to legal issues regarding plagiarism and intellectual property.

    AI lacks your understanding of context and fair play. Without that, you get a bland, and potentially harmful product. Understanding the reason behind the content – whether it be music, images, or text – is what gives content its depth. Understanding fair play means you are not stepping on the creative rights of others.

    Read More: Mastering Writing with AI and Emotional Intelligence

    AI’s Impact on Jobs: The Economic Landscape of AI Content Creation

    Automated journalism tools like those used by the Associated Press can generate news reports from data, potentially reducing the need for human journalists for routine reporting tasks. Ideally, this frees journalists up for in-depth reporting.

    Like most technologies, the development and deployment of AI technologies are concentrated in wealthier regions and companies. The existing economic gap between those who can afford to use and benefit from these technologies and those who cannot can potentially widen.

    How can you use AI to save your job, and make yourself even more employable? When Macromedia released its website editing tool, Dreamweaver in 1997, many website developers saw their jobs in danger. Instead, twenty years later, websites are still being produced by people. The rise of Kindle and desktop publishing caused people to portent “print is dead”. However, printed books, still today, fill shops. Why? They are beautiful and useful.

    Read More: Using Assistive AI to Build a Simple Website

    Fairness in AI: Mitigating Bias in AI-Generated Content

    AI-generated content can reflect and amplify biases present in training data. For instance, if an AI is trained on text that contains gender stereotypes, it might produce content that perpetuates those stereotypes.

    “One of the key concerns surrounding the ethics of AI is the potential for reinforcing existing biases. When biased data is fed into AI models, it can perpetuate biases on an unprecedented scale.” Forbes.com

    Don’t forget, there is nothing magical about artificial intelligence. It is just a computer program. The result of a program, much like a cake recipe, depends on the ingredients.

    Overreliance on AI-generated content will lead to a homogenization of creative works. This also includes sidelining other perspectives. It is up to you to “keep your tools honest”, and not become reliant on what content is generated.

    AI tools are there to assist you, not replace you.

    Read More: The New AI Search. How Should I Adapt my SEO Strategy?

    Protecting Against Malicious Use: How to Prevent AI Content Manipulation

    AI-generated deepfake videos can create realistic but fake representations of people saying or doing things they never did. This technology has been used to create fake news videos and can potentially be used for political manipulation.

    AI-generated content can also be used to produce and disseminate propaganda more efficiently. For instance, AI can generate large volumes of social media posts to influence public opinion during elections.

    AI can also be used to sway our opinions to influence a purchase decision. However, businesses have been doing that long before the advent of computers, television, or even radio.

    Ensuring Accountability: Transparency in AI Content Creation

    You need to disclose when content is AI-generated to maintain trust and transparency. It’s also fair play. For example, AI-generated articles should be labelled as such to inform your readers of their origin

    If an AI-generated piece of content causes harm, such as spreading false information, determining who is responsible—whether it’s the developers, the operators, or the distributors—can be challenging. Transparency is about being a part of the solution, and not the problem.

    Read More: How to Get the Most Out of AI for Your Sustainable Marketing

    Privacy Concerns in AI Content: Protecting User Data

    The best conversation is one in which you trust the person across from you. As a customer, if there is no trust, it is unlikely you will talk with a salesperson, or make a purchase. An important part of building trust is to be authentic and transparent. That’s difficult for an AI tool; we still don’t feel very confident around “talking machines”.

    “The Uncanny Valley hypothesis looks at the relationship between the degree of an object’s resemblance to a human being and our emotional response to it. The concept of the Valley suggests that robots which imperfectly resemble actual human beings provoke strangely familiar (uncanny) feelings in observers.  The Valley denotes a dip in the human observer’s affinity for the replica, a relation that otherwise increases with the replica’s human likeness.” Love in the Time of Digital Transformation

    Where does AI get its content? AI systems use large datasets that might include personal information. Ensuring that data is ethically sourced and used with consent is critical – not just as a hedge against duplicate content.

    AI-generated content can also be used in surveillance, such as generating realistic but fake scenarios to entrap individuals or to invade their privacy without their knowledge.

    “Being authentic goes beyond doing the task and checking the box; it is about how you leave a customer feeling during and after the interaction.”

    https://imcprofessional.medill.northwestern.edu/blog/customer-centric-marketing-and-digital-intimacy

    How You Can Address the Challenges of AI Content Creation

    The responsibility for AI-generated content primarily lies with the creators and developers. However, users also have a role in using AI-generated content.

    How can you responsibly use AI?

    • + Disclose when content is AI-generated.
    • + Implement your own oversight to ensure accuracy and alignment with your goals.
    • Be aware of data privacy, bias, and other potential impacts.+ Be aware of data privacy, bias, and other potential impacts.
    • + Recognize that determining responsibility for AI-generated content is complex.
    • + Support the development of guidelines to ensure ethical AI use.

    While AI tools offer benefits like efficiency and data-driven insights, it’s crucial to balance AI-generated, and content you create yourself. The focus should be on enhancing your creativity rather than replacing it entirely. 

    Wrapping Up

    Navigating the ethical landscape of AI-generated content is a complex but essential task. As AI continues to improve and integrate into more aspects of our lives, it is important not to ignore the ethical concerns surrounding its use.

    By considering the issues of authorship, creativity, transparency, and privacy, you can better use AI responsibly. That will help you avoid the potential pitfalls but still harness the benefits of this exciting new tool.

    Sources

    with thanks for the image: https://unsplash.com/@joshrh19

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