The yr 2024 marked a transformative interval for synthetic intelligence, marked by nice improvements and challenges. An estimated $500 billion world AI market worth has created numerous instruments, apps, and corporations which have modified industries and our day by day lives. These technological marvels had been additionally accompanied by waves of controversy that sparked debates over ethics, societal impression, and accountability in AI growth. This text covers main AI controversies of 2024.
Prime 9 AI Controversies of 2024
From high-profile lawsuits and company scandals to the ethical dilemmas of deepfakes and the errors in AI decision-making, listed here are the highest AI-related controversies of 2024, organized chronologically:
OpenAI vs Elon Musk (March 2024)
Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Sam Altman co-founded OpenAI as a non-profit in 2015 with a mission to advance synthetic intelligence for the higher good. Nevertheless, Musk’s departure from the group in 2018 marked the start of a contentious relationship between the 2. Musk has since raised issues over OpenAI’s transition to a for-profit mannequin, its management, and its collaborations with firms like Microsoft. In March 2024, Musk escalated the feud by submitting a lawsuit towards OpenAI. He alleged misuse of Tesla’s proprietary information in autonomous driving fashions.
This rivalry isn’t nearly AI know-how but additionally displays private tensions. Musk has referred to Altman as “Swindly Sam.” Whereas Altman has labelled Musk a “bully” in interviews. Critics argue that the feud is fueled by their competing ambitions. It’s notably by Musk’s institution of xAI, a direct competitor to OpenAI. The state of affairs highlights the broader implications of AI governance, competitors, and moral AI growth.
Additionally Learn: What’s Accountable AI and Why Do We Want It?
Grok AI Falsely Accuses NBA Star of Vandalism Spree (April 2024)
In April 2024, a surveillance device to assist the police went haywire when Grok AI reported that NBA star Klay Thompson had been concerned in a bricks vandalism spree. This all began as a result of Grok misunderstood basketball slang throughout discussions relating to Thompson’s poor efficiency in a single recreation towards the Sacramento Kings, capturing zero out of ten makes an attempt. The time period “capturing bricks” is a standard idiomatic expression in basketball to explain an unsuccessful shot. The AI misinterpreted this phrase for instance of precise vandalism, involving bricks being thrown at houses in Sacramento.
The baseless report acknowledged that homes had been vandalized and authorities had been investigating the incident. This pretend story unfold extensively on social media, inflicting plenty of customers to be in a state of confusion and hilarity. Many mocked the state of affairs on the X. They started making memes and hilarious posts which unfold the unfaithful story. Though the context was simply miscommunicated, Grok’s report remained alive for days. Thus highlighting points with how AI techniques understand the human language’s nuances and context.
The backlash towards Grok AI got here rapidly. Activism and commentary referred to as for stronger regulatory requirements and higher auditing practices by AI techniques. They cited a few of the risks inherent to biased coaching information. For example, Grok disproportionately flagged people from minoritised communities, perpetuating harmful stereotypes and spreading untruths. The Grok incident opened up broader talks across the implications of the failures of AI.
OpenAI vs Scarlett Johansson (Could 2024)
Scarlett Johansson filed a lawsuit in Could 2024 after studying that OpenAI used her voice for an AI-generated viral video commercial to hawk a pretend product, wherein her voice had been synthesized with out her information or permission. The video commercial ran far and huge throughout social media and raised crucial authorized and moral questions regarding the deepfake know-how used.
In court docket, Johansson’s attorneys claimed that the unauthorized use of her likeness violated her rights to privateness and publicity. The lawsuit make clear the potential for abuse of deepfake know-how and introduced consideration to a extra common problem: how such know-how might be misused by celebrities and public figures whose identities may simply be duplicated with out consent. It began the controversy on clearer laws regarding AI-generated content material and protocols for consent in the usage of individuals’s likenesses.
This AI controversy led OpenAI to announce plans to revise its dataset insurance policies to make sure stricter consent necessities shifting ahead. The incident marked a pivotal second within the ongoing debate over mental property rights within the age of synthetic intelligence and deepfakes, emphasizing the need for moral requirements in AI growth.
Google’s AI Overview Controversy (Could 2024)
In Could 2024, Google suffered main backlash relating to a brand new AI-generated characteristic it was rolling out referred to as AI Overviews. The brand new characteristic was meant to summarize search leads to a couple of sentences to make it simpler for customers to seek out solutions in much less time. Nevertheless, inside a couple of days of launching, it turned notorious for a sequence of absurd and nonsensical responses that put public belief in AI-generated content material into query.
Deceptive Info By AI
In keeping with the customers, the AI displayed deceptive info on many subjects in regards to the following:
- Historic Misrepresentation: When answering a query in regards to the Muslim presidents within the U.S., the AI acknowledged that Obama was the one one amongst them, which is definitely incorrect and lacks nuance.
- Absurd Suggestions: After being requested to counsel how one would possibly forestall cheese from sliding off pizza, the AI beneficial including “⅛ cup of non-toxic glue,” clearly a nonsensical reply. Different ridiculous ideas included consuming rocks for his or her mineral content material and placing gasoline in spaghetti for taste.
- Harmful Recommendation: The AI additionally made the false assertion that parachutes had been no higher than backpacks when it got here to leaping from an airplane, and this highlights the hazard of counting on such incorrect info.
These falsehoods have sparked a flood of ridicule on social media as customers submit their incredulity and frustration with the state of affairs. Many individuals escalated the state of affairs by questioning Google’s AI techniques and the integrity of their capacity to offer info.
It noticed the outrage, took within the criticisms of points dealing with AI Overviews by acknowledging the issues with responses emanating from Google. “These are points rooted in info gaps, conditions when there aren’t nice high quality sources to again issues like unusual queries, bringing typically subpar and sometimes much less respected websites to generate ‘dangerous’ info.”
Google acknowledged to be doing a sequence of evaluations and upgrades relating to its system’s oversight and high quality checking. It might additionally additional restrict the appliance for extra particular search inquiries whereas persevering with engaged on additional developments for error-free output.
Additionally Learn: Prime 6 AI Updates by Google – 2024 Roundup
McDonald’s Ends IBM Drive-Through Voice Order Take a look at (June 2024)
McDonald’s cancelled its take a look at of IBM’s AI-powered voice order system in June 2024 following repeated issues with accuracy and buyer satisfaction. The idea was to make ordering processes at drive-thrus easier however confronted important operational points.
The take a look at threw up the next crucial issues:
- Order Misinterpretation: Clients complain that their orders had been misheard or mishandled by the AI system. Thereby leading to delays and irritation at drive-thru home windows.
- Buyer Expertise: The faults weren’t solely a explanation for annoyance for patrons but additionally led to elevated wait occasions. That is diametrically reverse to what effectivity positive factors had been anticipated from the implementation of AI.
Business analysts raised questions relating to the readiness of AI know-how for mass adoption in customer support roles when McDonald’s ended the trial. Many analysts identified that whereas AI has potential advantages, its present limitations can result in important operational disruptions if not adequately addressed.
DoNotPay “Robotic Lawyer” Controversy (June 2024)
In June 2024, DoNotPay, the authorized AI platform that branded itself as “the world’s first robotic lawyer”. It hit the bottom working in one in all its greatest AI controversies but resulting from a number of authorized and public scrutinizations of its claims and choices. Based in 2015 by Joshua Browder, the corporate initially started to goal at serving to customers combat authorized challenges similar to contesting parking tickets and producing authorized paperwork totally free. Nevertheless, it was reported that the AI gave dangerous authorized recommendation. These authorized advices may have led to a critical state of affairs for these counting on its companies.
FTC’s Grievance
The controversy deepened after the Federal Commerce Fee stepped in. They had been claiming that DoNotPay had been engaged within the unauthorized apply of legislation and failed to satisfy guarantees. The FTC’s grievance identified a number of details:
- Deceptive Claims: DoNotPay marketed its companies as able to producing “ironclad” authorized paperwork and offering recommendation akin to that of a human lawyer. Nevertheless, the FTC discovered that the AI didn’t endure sufficient testing to make sure its outputs had been legally sound or equal to these produced by certified attorneys.
- Client Hurt: Customers reported cases the place the AI-generated paperwork had been poorly drafted or contained inaccuracies, rendering them unusable in authorized contexts. One plaintiff famous that he was unable to make use of paperwork created by DoNotPay resulting from their substandard high quality.
- Settlement Settlement: Due to the FTC findings, DoNotPay agreed to pay $193,000 in a high-quality and be restrained from not telling shoppers who had used the service between 2021 and 2023 the boundaries of the authorized merchandise bought by DoNotPay. It additionally agreed to cease making unsupported claims relating to the alternative of human attorneys with DoNotPay attorneys sooner or later.
This scandal raises crucial questions in regards to the feasibility and morality of utilizing AI in high-stakes domains similar to legislation. Critics argue that AI can be utilized to carry out some duties however shouldn’t be marketed as a alternative for skilled authorized recommendation. The incident has sparked a debate on the tasks of AI firms by way of representing their capabilities and defending shoppers.
Additionally Learn: AI Revolution in Authorized Sector: Chatbots Take Middle Stage in Courtrooms
Ilya Sutskever Launches Protected Superintelligence Inc (SSI) (June 2024)
In June 2024, Ilya Sutskever, co-founder of OpenAI, introduced the launch of Protected Superintelligence Inc. (SSI), an initiative aimed toward prioritizing moral frameworks for synthetic intelligence growth. This transfer got here amid rising issues relating to the security and moral implications of superior AI applied sciences following numerous controversies surrounding OpenAI. The mission of SSI is to make sure that superior AI techniques are developed and deployed responsibly. The primary goals embody:
- Establishing Moral Tips: SSI goals at establishing holistic ethics frameworks that information AI growth practices by security and accountability.
- Facilitating Transparency: The group will advocate for the reason for making AI operations in a extra clear method that can let stakeholders perceive intimately how the AI makes choices and works.
- Policymaker Engagement: SSI will work to interact with policymakers and enterprise leaders on regulation insurance policies shaping AI applied sciences.
The supporters lauded Sutskever’s transfer as well timed and much-needed to deal with the moral issues surrounding AI. However however, critics considered it as a response to OpenAI’s rising controversies. They questioned whether or not SSI was genuinely performing to alter the established order or if it was solely partaking in public relations techniques to assist salvage the OpenAI backlash.
Clearview AI Controversy (September 2024)
In September 2024, renewed outrage surfaced towards Clearview AI, the notorious facial recognition firm whose current revelations of scraping the info of unsuspecting people to broaden its database of faces has come below rising fireplace. The corporate that provides software program primarily to legislation enforcement companies has been referred to as out for its technique of buying photographs from the web and social media websites with out consent. This controversy renewed debate in regards to the violations of privateness and the ethics of the appliance of such know-how in legislation enforcement.
Clearview AI reportedly hosts over 30 billion photographs scraped from many on-line sources. Such an act raised important alarm amongst advocates and civil rights organizations. They raised issues in regards to the violations dedicated by Clearview regarding legislation and moral requirements. Clearview was aggregating photographs with out individuals’s consent. This additional creates what critics would contemplate a “perpetual police line-up” with people who will be tracked and recognized with out them being conscious or giving any kind of permission.
Backlash In opposition to Clearview AI
The backlash towards Clearview AI isn’t new. The corporate has confronted a number of lawsuits and regulatory actions in numerous jurisdictions. For instance:
- Fines and Bans: In September 2024, Dutch authorities fined Clearview €30.5 million for constructing an unlawful facial recognition database. The Dutch Knowledge Safety Authority emphasised that facial recognition know-how is very intrusive and shouldn’t be deployed indiscriminately.
- Settlements: Earlier settlements included an settlement with the ACLU. It barred Clearview from promoting its companies to non-public people and companies. Regardless of such lawsuits, Clearview stays lively, bringing into query whether or not the laws in place had been efficient sufficient.
The scandal has attracted widespread condemnation from civil liberties teams and activists who’re pushing for stronger regulatory measures governing facial recognition know-how. Many say that the practices of Clearview epitomize a disturbing pattern the place privateness rights are pushed apart for surveillance capabilities. The authorized battles are indicative of the pressing want for complete laws to guard individuals’s biometric information.
Amazon’s AI Recruiting Device Bias (Ongoing)
Amazon’s AI device for recruitment has been criticized these days for being biased in direction of gender and race in hiring. Already, a number of makes an attempt had been made to right the ills. Nevertheless, it confirmed that it was favouring male candidates for technical posts towards females who had been equal in all respects. That could be a critical questioning of equity and accountability in AI-driven decision-making processes.
The controversy over Amazon’s AI recruiting device started with the invention that the algorithm was educated on resumes submitted over ten years, predominantly from male candidates. Consequently:
- Gender Bias: The device developed a bias towards feminine candidates. It was penalizing resumes that included phrases related to girls’s experiences or {qualifications}.
- Racial Disparities: Equally, candidates from minority backgrounds confronted disadvantages resulting from historic biases embedded within the coaching information.
This made Amazon find yourself abandoning the device, however solely after it proved ineffectual in equitably truthful hiring practices. Whilst these biases proceed to face changes, the AI recruiting device developed by Amazon has by no means seen its final days as criticism on the inequality being strengthened in hiring as a substitute of lessened.
Finish Observe
As we enter 2025, the AI controversies of 2024 stand as an important lesson to the AI neighborhood. Whereas the brand new yr will convey its personal challenges, these occasions spotlight the necessity for extra moral, clear, and accountable AI growth. These AI controversies remind firms and innovators that the stakes are increased than ever. For one mistake can erode the general public’s belief and convey on real-world hurt. But, with the controversy comes a possibility. By addressing these weaknesses, firms can create applied sciences that innovate whereas respecting human dignity, privateness, and societal norms. Although the journey will likely be difficult, it holds the promise of a extra considerate, moral, and impactful AI-driven future.
A 23-year-old, pursuing her Grasp’s in English, an avid reader, and a melophile. My all-time favourite quote is by Albus Dumbledore – “Happiness will be discovered even within the darkest of occasions if one remembers to activate the sunshine.”