Are killer robots about to take over the world? Mention artificial intelligence to the average person today and this is one of the many scary scenarios that spring to mind. Perhaps this is no surprise when you consider how AI is the technology that enables computers to think and act like human beings. But how much do we really know about this ground-breaking technology?
The November/December 2019 issue of ISOfocus separates the facts from the fiction and analyses the risks as well as the opportunities, illustrating how we all stand to gain as the technology develops over the coming years. The speed of change thus far has been startling and unsettling, full of innovators and disruptors. As S. Joe Bhatia, President and CEO of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), ISO’s member for the USA, points out in his opening comment: “To help unlock the promise of AI and remove barriers to its adoption, globally relevant and globally accepted voluntary consensus standards are key.”
In this issue, experts unpick some of the myths surrounding AI and highlight the myriad potential gains for society – from healthcare and smart manufacturing, to robotics and intelligent transport systems, to name but a few. In an interview, Wael William Diab, Chair of the subcommittee working on artificial intelligence, explains that AI is, in fact, not a single technology but represents an entire ecosystem, from collecting and sourcing data to deriving insights and implementing actions.
AI data is at the intersection of many different fields, and the magazine points out the need for a common framework so that consumers, producers and regulators can speak a common language. Leading experts delve into the issues of trust, safety and security, and explain how International Standards will help create an ethical foundation for building and using AI systems in the future.
“This is a pivotal time to be involved in standards for AI,” S. Joe Bhatia writes. Find out how ISO standards can help meet the challenges of artificial intelligence and make the world a better place by reading the latest ISOfocus.