Threats to human institutions and life

What Ethics Can Say on Artificial Intelligence: Insights from a Systematic Literature Review

Giarmoleo et al. (2024)

Source DOI

Sub-category

Risk Domain

4Malicious Actors & Misuse

4.2Cyberattacks, weapon development or use, and mass harm

Using AI systems to develop cyber weapons (e.g., by coding cheaper, more effective malware), develop new or enhance existing weapons (e.g., Lethal Autonomous Weapons or chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosives), or use weapons to cause mass harm.

"This group comprises 11% of the articles and centers on risks stemming from AI systems designed with malicious intent or that can end up in a threat to human life. It can be divided into two key themes: threats to law and democracy, and transhumanism."(p. 12)

Entity— Who or what caused the harm

Human

Due to a decision or action made by humans

AI system

Due to a decision or action made by an AI system

Other

Due to some other reason or is ambiguous

Intent— Whether the harm was intentional or accidental

Intentional

Due to an expected outcome from pursuing a goal

Unintentional

Due to an unexpected outcome from pursuing a goal

Other

Without clearly specifying the intentionality

Timing— Whether the risk is pre- or post-deployment

Pre-deployment

Occurring before the AI is deployed

Post-deployment

Occurring after the AI model has been trained and deployed

Other

Without a clearly specified time of occurrence

Supporting Evidence (2)

Threats to law and democratic values: "This theme underscores the ethical dilemmas AI poses to democratic values and human rights. One subset of research revolves around methodologies and frameworks for assessing AI's impact on fundamental rights...Another research line is concerned with AI's societal impact."(p. 12)

Transhumanism: "This category highlights the inherent uncertainty of transhumanism, which seeks to surpass biological limitations by merging humans with AI technologies.This advancement raises inquiries regarding the distinction between humans and machines, the potential outcomes of this integration, and the ethical reflections concerning improved human capabilities via AI enhancements. The ethical concern revolves around the exploration of this unfamiliar domain of human–AI fusion, which raises critical questions about identity, selfgovernance, parity, and the plausible advantages and drawbacks linked to surpassing biological restrictions. N"(p. 13)

Part of Design of AI