International authorities agree that, alongside its many positive potentials, the threat or danger potential of artificial intelligence should not be overlooked. Drawing attention to the extraordinary development of artificial intelligence in recent years and its results in various application areas, Assistant Professor Dr. Nuri Bingöl states that the development in artificial intelligence technology should be subject to certain regulations and oversight. Bingöl points out that the disagreements lie in ‘how and by whom this oversight will be implemented,’ emphasizing that this authority should not be perceived as being centralized in a single hand.
Assistant Professor Dr. Nuri Bingöl, Head of the Artificial Intelligence Engineering Master's Program Department at Üsküdar Üniversitesi, made statements regarding how rapidly developing artificial intelligence technologies should be regulated nationally and globally, what kinds of limits should be imposed, and what obstacles stand in the way of all this.
It is Time to Use Accumulated Knowledge to Maximize the Benefits of Artificial Intelligence
Assistant Professor Dr. Nuri Bingöl, stating that it is important not to overlook the potential for threat or danger alongside the many positive potentials of artificial intelligence, said, “Humanity is experienced in this matter and should quickly turn this experience into practice. We have learned a lot from the positive or negative outcomes caused by previous revolutionary technological developments. It is time to use this accumulated knowledge to maximize the benefits of artificial intelligence.”
There Are Disagreements on How to Implement Oversight on Artificial Intelligence
Bingöl stated that many authorities shaping today's societies with their thoughts, and even people who played a significant role in the development of artificial intelligence, share similar views, and said, “The extraordinary development of artificial intelligence in recent years and its results in various application areas show that the development in artificial intelligence technology should be subject to certain regulations and oversight. Disagreements are not about this, but rather about ‘how this oversight will be implemented.’ ”
Measures Vary Depending on Which Stage Will Be Monitored
Bingöl also touched upon the reasons why discussions and disagreements focus on how oversight will be implemented, explaining these reasons as follows:
“Artificial intelligence technologies are an immense power, and there are problems that arise if this power is concentrated in the hands of only one institution. These technologies are inherently a two-stage product. The first is the development of AI’s capacity, and the second is its use for a specific purpose. Which of these two stages should be subject to oversight or limitation? Which stage contains more potential threats or dangers? Naturally, the measures that can be taken vary according to the answer to this question. The question of ‘how it will be implemented’ gains a different meaning.”
Excessive Oversight and Restriction on Technology Lead to a Decrease in Its Benefits
Bingöl also drew attention to the level at which AI oversight and restriction should be, and said, “It should not be forgotten that excessive oversight and restriction on technology lead to a decrease in the benefits arising from the development of that technology. Yet, humanity faces great existential problems, and artificial intelligence technologies hold great potential in these areas.”
Bingöl added that the statement by Andrew Ng, one of the prominent figures in artificial intelligence, is noteworthy: ‘When I think about existential risks for a large part of humanity: The next pandemic, climate change and resulting mass depopulation, another asteroid threat… AI will be a crucial part of our solutions. So, if we want humanity to survive and thrive for the next thousand years, let’s make AI go faster, not slower.’
Oversight and Restrictions Should Also Cover the Ethical Dimension
Bingöl stated that the oversight and restrictions on artificial intelligence should not only be effective on the threat and danger dimension, and said, “There is also an ‘ethical’ dimension that is just as important. Even with very small-capacity artificial intelligence products, some personal violations and threats can be created. Specifically, an individual, institution, or human community can be targeted. Therefore, the need for oversight and restriction should not be considered only for parties producing or using very large-capacity artificial intelligence technology. Oversight and restrictions should be applicable to both large-scale and, where appropriate, small-scale artificial intelligence capacities.”
Steps Taken for Personal Data Security and Ethics Can Form a Basis for Oversight and Restrictions
Bingöl stated that the standardization of how oversight and restrictions will be implemented and the formation of their regulations seem likely to take time, and said, “While discussions and ideas continue to develop in this area, it is important to incorporate some practical regulations and rules related to artificial intelligence into past experiences, such as the European Union General Data Protection Regulation or the Personal Data Protection Law as applied in our country, and to establish a managerial framework today. Because the steps taken for personal data security and ethics can form a conceptual and practical basis for AI’s oversight and restrictions. These legislations, built on how data is used—from what source, in what quantity, and for what purpose—how it is protected, and how it is shared, are important elements for the capacity development stage of artificial intelligence and can at least establish a basis for control from this perspective.”
We Must Draw the Attention of ‘IT Law’ Elements to This Issue
Bingöl stated that another element is the management of computing power and energy consumption, and said, “Oversight and restrictions in this area have been able to provide solutions to some problems created by ‘Blockchain’ technology and have contributed to the technology shifting towards a more positive direction. Similar legislations could indirectly affect artificial intelligence technology as well.”
Bingöl emphasized that, first and foremost, fake content produced by artificial intelligence should be detected and the necessary sanctions should be determined, and added, “Content not only containing false information but also accurate information, yet created by artificial intelligence to manipulate a group or gain benefit for a group, must also be prevented. All political and commercial campaigns created by artificial intelligence targeting individuals through collected user data must be limited so that free will remains free. Without losing time, we must begin to establish the relationship between the concepts of ‘Data Access and Use of Computing Power’ and existing laws and regulations, with an AI-focused perspective. We must particularly draw the attention of ‘IT Law’ elements to this issue.”
Establishing a Centralized Connection and Oversight is Nearly Impossible
Assistant Professor Dr. Nuri Bingöl emphasized the need to oversee a technology that people can easily access and that can affect both their own and others’ lives when accessed, and said, “However, establishing an oversight mechanism over all artificial intelligence models that can be created with just a computer and some mathematical knowledge does not seem very possible.”
Bingöl stated that the fact that artificial intelligence technology is subject to oversight and restriction should not inevitably be perceived as the centralization of this authority in a single hand, and concluded his words as follows:
“In fact, today’s technologies are focusing on decentralized infrastructures, and many developments are occurring in this area. Furthermore, the ability of artificial intelligence technologies to operate as embedded systems after being produced, without being connected to any central point or even the internet, provides a degree of freedom, at least for the usage phase. For AI systems with this capability, establishing a centralized connection and oversight is almost impossible, as seen in every field today.”