Image reproduced from eCampus Ontario H5P Studio. This work is licensed under Creative Commons license CC:BY-NC-SA.
Bias
AI is trained on datasets created and selected by humans, and when we use an AI tool, we do not necessarily know if the dataset that trained the tool is biased. Algorithms can also be designed to reflect biases, which could affect the output of a generative AI tool.
Inaccuracies and Hallucinations
AI-generated content may contain inaccurate information. Accuracy of AI-generated content can vary widely, depending on the particular tool, its training data, and the prompt provided.
Because AI uses probability to generate content, it can provide false information, which is called a hallucination. For example, ChatGPT has been known to create false citations that appear to be real sources, but do not actually exist.
Privacy Risks
Generative AI tools collect and store data about users, and these data may be sold to third parties for marketing or other purposes. These factors can pose risks to confidential and personal data because users don't know and cannot control how the information they provide to an AI tool is used.
When using any AI tool, avoid sharing sensitive information.
Intellectual Property and Academic Integrity
Generative AI tools can pose risks to your intellectual property, and can infringe on the intellectual property of others. How the training data for an AI tool is gathered, whether it includes copyright-protected material, and whether proper permissions to use copyright-protected material have been acquired, are all important considerations.
Human and Environmental Cost
AI technology lacks environmental sustainability, uses significant amounts of energy, and produces carbon emissions. Additionally, the development of AI technologies has involved exploitative and unethical labour practices.
Additional Resources
"AI, Ain't I A Woman" spoken word poet Joy Buolamwini addresses how AI has misinterpreted the images of famous Black women
Bias in AI: How AI Algorithmic Bias Affects Society from Fast Data Science
ChatGPT and AI Hallucination blog post from Seattle University Library
Generative AI Tools and Copyright Considerations from University of Toronto Libraries
The Hidden Cost of the AI Boom: Social and Environmental Exploitation from The Conversation