Big Data

Societal, Economic, Ethical and Legal Challenges of the Digital Revolution

From Big Data to Deep Learning, Artificial Intelligence, and Manipulative Technologies

Dirk Helbing

Category:

Articles

Region:

Switzerland

Field of law:

Big Data, Open Data & Open Government, Data Protection, Information Technology

Citation: Dirk Helbing, Societal, Economic, Ethical and Legal Challenges of the Digital Revolution, in: Jusletter IT 21-Mai-2015

In the wake of the digital revolution we will see a dramatic transformation of our economy and societal institutions. While the benefits of this transformation can be massive, there are also tremendous risks. The fundaments of autonomous decision-making, human dignity, and democracy are shaking. After the automation of production processes and vehicle operation, the automation of society is next. This is moving us to a crossroads: we must decide between a society in which the actions are determined in a top-down way and then implemented by coercion or manipulative technologies or a society, in which decisions are taken in a free and participatory way. Modern information and communication systems enable both, but the latter has economic and strategic benefits.

Table of contents

1. Overview of Some New Digital Technology Trends
- 1.1. Big Data
- 1.2. Machine Learning, Deep Learning, and Super-Intelligence
- 1.3. Persuasive Technologies and Nudging to Manipulate Individual Decisions
2. Attempt of a Technology Assessment
- 2.1. Problems with Big Data Analytics
- 2.2. Problems with Artificial Intelligence and Super-Intelligence
- 2.3. Problems with Manipulative («Persuasive») Technologies
3. Recommendations
- 3.1. Recommendations Regarding Big Data
- 3.2. Recommendations regarding Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence
- 3.3. Recommendations Regarding Manipulative Technologies
4. Summary, Conclusions and Discussion

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