AI @ Oxford

The generation of new technologies doesn’t come without an environmental impact. But how is AI affecting the environment, and could AI help us to reach our climate goals? John Tasioulas is Professor of Ethics and Legal Philosophy in the Faculty of Philosophy and Director of the Institute for Ethics in AI. As with most things to do with AI, Professor Tasioulas highlights that there are two sides to the story when it comes to AI’s impact on the environment. Training a large language model (LLM), for example, emits as much carbon as multiple cars do over their lifetime – and that’s just training it once. AI could, however, be used to monitor compliance with climate-related treaties, Professor Tasioulas suggests.

The use of AI in healthcare could see vast benefits for patients and is only going to increase in volume as the technology is applied in new and innovative ways. But what are the pitfalls of such applications, and how can we keep individuals, and global populations, safe when using artificial intelligence? Angeliki Kerasidou, Associate Professor in Bioethics at the Ethox Centre, explains.

AI can be used to do so many different things in so many different fields – but not always for good, or for the benefit of society. That’s why it’s so important to ensure that good governance is in place for AI and other emerging technologies. Brent Mittelstadt is the Oxford Internet Institute’s Director of Research, an Associate Professor and Senior Research Fellow.

With an ever-increasing use of artificial intelligence, a constant cycle of fake news and personalised propaganda – what impact will AI have on democracy? Carissa Véliz is an Associate Professor in Philosophy at the Institute for Ethics in AI, where she researches privacy, the ethics of AI, and public policy. Professor Véliz explains that our democratic rights and freedoms are bound to be impacted by AI because it is such a powerful tool.

Will robots take over the world or will an AI take my job? The answer is, it’s complicated. John Tasioulas, Professor of Ethics and Legal Philosophy in the Faculty of Philosophy and Director of the Institute for Ethics in AI, stresses the need for global safeguards agreed on between countries — including non-democratic ones — to avoid the worst possible impacts of AI. Professor Michael Bronstein, however, is optimistic about the capabilities of AI technologies to transform society and change our lives for the good, and imagines AI will augment human capabilities rather than replace them.

You may have heard the Turing test mentioned when it comes to assessing whether AI has a mind of its own - but what is it, and has an AI passed the test before? Carissa Véliz, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Philosophy and the Institute for Ethics in AI, explains.

What does it mean when someone says an AI has learnt something? Sandra Wachter is Professor of Technology and Regulation at the Oxford Internet Institute, where she researches the legal and ethical implications of AI and regulation of online platforms.

Deep Learning. Machine Learning. Generative AI. Are they the same thing? What's the difference? Michael Bronstein, the DeepMind Professor of AI at the Department of Computer Science, and Michael Osborne, Professor of Machine Learning at the Department of Engineering Science, take us through these various different terms.

We've all likely heard the phrase 'artificial intelligence' or come across a mention of 'AI'. But what does it actually mean? Michael Osborne, Professor of Machine Learning at the Department of Engineering Science, is an expert in developing intelligent algorithms that can make sense of big data.