Artificial intelligence
Ethics Council: AI must not restrict human development
Alena Buyx, Chairwoman of the German Ethics Council. photo
© Michael Kappeler/dpa
Does the term paper come from the student or from a text robot like ChatGPT? Who made the diagnosis in a case of illness? The Ethics Council wants to set clear limits for artificial intelligence.
The German Ethics Council has spoken out in favor of strict limitations on the use of artificial intelligence (AI). “The use of AI must expand human development and must not reduce it,” said Alena Buyx, chairwoman of the German Ethics Council, on Monday in Berlin at the presentation of the statement “Humans and machines – challenges posed by artificial intelligence”. “AI must not replace humans,” emphasized Buyx.
The German Ethics Council is an independent body in Germany that deals with ethical issues and challenges in the fields of science, medicine and healthcare. The 26 members are appointed by the President of the German Bundestag. The Bundestag or the Federal Government can commission the Ethics Council to advise on specific topics.
For the medical sector, the Ethics Council also lists reasons why the use of AI could make sense: With the help of AI, supply bottlenecks due to staff shortages could be alleviated and more precise diagnoses could be made. When developing and using AI products, however, a loss of medical competence must be avoided. The privacy of patients must be reconciled with the intensive use of data in medical research.
For the use of AI by public administration, citizens would have to be protected from discrimination. Machine recommendations should not be followed blindly. Furthermore, individual case considerations as well as the rights of inspection and objection of those affected would have to be guaranteed. “AI applications cannot replace human intelligence, responsibility and evaluation,” said Julian Nida-Rümelin, Deputy Chairman of the German Ethics Council.