The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence in Policy

From the developing agents of artificial intelligence such as Chat Gpt or Deepseek, AI has impressed everyone beyond just being a futuristic concept; it’s become a powerful tool that’s been integrated into the daily life. It has even advanced so far to influence how we govern and make political decisions. However, as these technologies become more crucial into our public systems, the ethic implications are also growing  about how to balance an developing powerful AI tool with its potential risks to social equity.

AI’s Influence on Governance

Governments worldwide are embracing AI systems to preform acts like predicting crime patterns, allocating resources, or determining eligibility for social programs. The ability to streamline processes and enhance the efficiency in areas like public health, law enforcement, and social services is undeniable.

One of the most controversial uses of AI in governance is predictive policing. This emphasizes algorithms that forecast where crimes are likely to occur. One specific city is Chicago who has adopted PredPol (Predictive Policing) to predict criminal activity based off of empirics about historical data. AI uses factors like location, time, type of crime, and analyzes them to generate predictions on where police should allocate their resources to prevent future crime. The goal is straightforward; AI helps law enforcement agencies optimize their effort but deploying officers where crimes most likely are predicted to happen. In theory, PredPol creates safer communities by acting proactively crime hotspots.

However, the realistic consequences of these PredPol are far more complex. One major problem is the reinforcement of existing biases. Some predictive policing systems rely on historical crime data, it’s often built on patterns that exacerbate racial inequalities. In many cities, areas with higher crime rates are predominately low-income and minority communities. As a result, AI tend to “predict’ that these areas will continue to experience high levels of criminal activity which creates an infinitely regressive loop where marginalized communities are disproportionately policed. AI lacks the capacity to understand context which causes it to return flawed decisions.  

Perspectives with Regulation

With the rise of AI used in governing, policymakers are beginning to create regulations aimed at ensuring ethical AI use. While it increases efficiency, it also poses problems like worsening social equity. The European Union has proposed the AI Act, which aims to regulate AI systems based on their risk to individuals’ safety and rights, categorizing systems into four level risks.

In order to successfully integrate AI governance, policymakers must balance the need for innovation with the need to protect individuals’ rights and prevent discrimination. Developing global standards for ethical AI requires international cooperation, as technology advancements begin to affect individuals worldwide.