AI and Democracy: DSI Director Abraham Bernstein on the Podcast «Schampar digital»
Who decides what artificial intelligence is allowed to do? On the DIZH podcast «Schampar digital», DSI Director Abraham Bernstein discusses how algorithms shape public opinion and why dealing with AI is a question for society as a whole.
Democracy depends on an informed public. Yet recommender systems increasingly determine which news and opinions we see. Because they draw on past data, they can reinforce existing biases and narrow the diversity of opinion. At the same time, AI makes it ever easier to generate texts and images, which blurs the line between reliable and false information.
In the latest episode of «Schampar digital» (in Swiss German), Abraham Bernstein, Professor of Informatics and Director of the Digital Society Initiative at the University of Zurich, puts these developments into perspective. Among other things, he explains why relying on AI is not the same as trusting it.