These days, technology is making leaps in an unprecedented manner. In the palm of our hands, we can see and talk to someone from the other side of the world. We can order everything from a nice, warm meal, even to a car with just a few clicks. In the whole of human history, it's never been so easy to connect and consume at the same time.

At the heart of our modern conveniences are a mix and match of various types of emerging technology, including artificial intelligence. While it's easy to think AI is all sunshine and roses, the reality is a little more complex than that. But, what is AI, and why should we be a little worried?

What Is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?

Behind every type of artificial intelligence is an algorithm, programmed code meant to simulate human intelligence by machines. Some of the most common applications for AI include natural language processing, speech recognition, and machine vision. From a practical standpoint, AI helps businesses optimize products, manage inventory and logistics.

In general, AI replicates actions that would have typically taken a human with a degree of expertise to perform. With this, the intent of AI is almost always to achieve efficiency and effectiveness in terms of decision-making. Unfortunately, this doesn't always mean ethically.

Related: Key Facts About AI: How Long Has It Been Around?

In fact, many of the people and businesses who program AI do not consider ethics in general. After all, these are developers and not philosophers. The people behind the scenes are simply there to make sure a piece of code saves their benefactors time, money, and effort.

In many ways, we've barely even scratched the surface of AI and what it can do. In recent times, we have seen both positive and negative implications. However, like many great innovations, it's important to remember that just because we can, doesn't mean that we ought to do it. Here are some examples of how AI can bring out ethical dilemmas.

Racism & Inequality

When it comes to AI, racism occurs as an unintended consequence of optimization. However, with AI mirroring the reality of the cost of efficiency, it reveals a lot of racism inside existing decision-making mechanisms and thought processes.

In reality, AI doesn't just account for the preferential treatment of individuals that exists within society, but it also exacerbates it. In the spectrum of privilege, most consumerist applications of AI tend to sway towards the benefit of the rich, the white, the male, and the able-bodied.

For example, Facebook has a long history of racism, sexism, and ableism built into its ad-serving algorithm. In these instances, there have been various accounts of certain white-collar jobs ads served primarily towards people of Hispanic descent or differences in housing prices based on whether a person is of African-American descent.

Aside from this, many of the existing AI algorithms have difficulty understanding non-Western accents, differentiating Asian faces, and so on.

Automation and Unemployment

While AI enthusiasts have long touted how it would relieve people from monotonous work, it doesn't come without its fair share of consequences. Although, with time, many jobs will be declared obsolete for automation, including traditionally lucrative roles, yet it is the poor that are disproportionately affected first.

In truth, much of the developing world and urban poor of developed nations still rely heavily on manual labor for their livelihood. Often a symptom of inequality, the lack of access to education makes more technical roles unreachable for people in depressed communities.

With AI taking jobs traditionally held by low-income workers, they're often the first to lose their income and the last to benefit from it.

Military Weapons

It's no secret that much of the commercial technology we enjoy today comes from military origins, like drone delivery. If anything, preparing for war has always incentivized nations to invest heavily in various types of technology, AI included.

In fact, AI has been a boon and a bane to military groups everywhere. On one hand, facial recognition technology has enabled countries to identify terrorists across international borders quickly. However, this same technology is also the one used to red tag pro-democracy groups in unstable countries.

In addition, there have already been case studies of drones and robot dogs used to hold weapons like guns. If left unchecked, this opens the possibility of targeted assassinations and assaults.

Robot Rights

There's an old saying floating around the internet: most of it is just adult content. With this, it's not surprising that sex is one of those things that people would seek to optimize. Using touch technology, virtual reality, and natural language processing, several companies have been trying to simulate sexual activity with machines.

In reality, sex with robots has several benefits, such as the lack of risk of sexually transmitted diseases. In addition, it can also lead to a possible reduction of human trafficking victims. However, it does potentially open a new can of worms.

With AI, many people seek to bypass the aspects of human connection that make sex either messy or meaningful. In a world that increasingly desensitizes us to the intrinsic value of other human beings, the introduction of sex robots can increasingly blur the lines of consent.

Ethical Dilemmas Shouldn't Stop Innovation

When it comes to innovation, there will always be some rocky roads before the path is laid out. However, these ethical dilemmas shouldn't be taken lightly, as they affect real people and society.

With AI poses serious concerns, it is important for world leaders and tech innovators to work together to go at a pace that doesn't sacrifice our humanity. While this may mean going slower, it also means that the rate of our innovation is more sustainable.

Like all types of technology, AI is a tool that can be used to change our world. Thankfully, we have the power to choose whether this change is for the better or worse.