Editorial: The ethical implications of AI hype

Abstract

unfounded expectations for the capabilities, performance, nature, and impact of such technologies. It is therefore crucial that organisations and individuals communicate about AI accurately. Whilst not something often spoken about in the responsible AI discourse, we intend this collection to shed light on its importance. In our call, we defined 'AI Hype' as "the overinfla-tion and misrepresentation of AI capabilities". We do not simply mean that being enthusiastic about AI, or promoting products and services related to AI, constitutes something negative. Instead, we understand the negative aspect of AI Hype to be associated with the staunch over-estimation, exaggeration, and plain misrepresentation of AI found in news stories, press releases, and interviews that go beyond excitement into a realm of fantasy, manipulation , and speculation as fact. Acting to support the nonprofit organisation We and AI's mission to facilitate diverse critical thinking about AI, as guest editors we are particularly motivated to uncover structures and mechanisms that impede public AI literacy about AI. We consider misdirection and fallacy to be inherently harmful to publics and society by interfering with their capacity for self-determination. We therefore welcome the research and commentary throughout the collection that distinguish between traditional marketing, advertising, communication activities and the environment and techniques that allow misdirec-tion and misrepresentation to flourish. 3 Three themes We are pleased that the authors of this collection come from a wide range of different disciplines, perspectives, territories, and interest areas. This has allowed for a varied , balanced, and nuanced viewpoint on a global topic. We have organised these contributions under the following themes: 1 Summary Key to ensuring effective dialogue around artificial intelligence (AI), including its ethical and legal ramifications, is its accurate representation. However, as exemplified by the most recent wave of AI Hype, the communication of AI's present (and future) capabilities are often largely exaggerated and overinflated. This collection puts a spotlight on this phenomenon. It explores the mechanisms (and motivations) with which such hype operates; the extent to which it (mis)influences the public, business interests, and political agendas; and its ethical implications. Drawing from a variety of disciplines within and outside of academia, it is intended to spur further dialogue across a variety of disciplines on how to accurately and responsibly discuss AI. 2 Rationale The innovation and implementation of AI is far outpacing the creation of regulatory guardrails and public understanding. Yet, despite this, crucial decisions about the investment, use, and governance of AI systems are rapidly being made at all levels of government, industry, and civil society. Lacking an established understanding, such decisions are left to be informed by non-standardised descriptions and representations of AI. Decision makers unwittingly form their perceptions and beliefs about AI based on a range of messages (often propagated by tech companies and repeated in the media) that act to seed inaccurate or