Multicultural Perceptions of Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence is an umbrella term for a suite of technologies, from Machine Learning and Neural Networks to the most talked about today, Generative AI (GAI). Like many other revolutionary and general purpose technologies, cultures around the world see AI in different ways. From ethics to the role of AI within their societies.
While GAI may have come out of Silicon Valley, where a sort of subculture of its own exists, it is a technology that today is seen as revolutionary, but could become general purpose like electricity or the internet. AI is now a global technology. It has become geopolitical and no longer can be seen only in the lens of Western cultural contexts.
In this article I will look at how different cultures consider ethics around AI and then how some cultures perceive AI. As we consider the overall implications, development of and concerns around AI’s place in our world, a sociocultural understanding can lead to better innovations and guardrails globally.
Culture and Artificial Intelligence Ethics
Western Views: In the West, mostly Europe, the USA and Canada, the primary focus on ethics is around privacy of the individual and the regulation of how how data is used, from personal to copyright protections. Autonomy figures strongly in Western cultures, thus creating tensions between the companies developing AI and societal concerns. Europe is, arguably, at the forefront of developing strong ethical frameworks with the concept of “Trustworthy AI.”
Eastern Views: Eastern cultures, such as China, India, Japan and South Korea, tend to be more focused on social harmony when it comes to AI ethics. Social well-being and harmony are more important in developing ethical frameworks.
Global South: For developing nations in this area, the concerns around AI ethics tend towards the potential to create further inequality and widen the digital divide. Fairness and inclusivity is important when considering ethics. African cultures tend to be more communal as well and so will frame ethics from a community perspective.
Indigenous Views: For Indigenous societies around the world, their concern with AI ethics is more around preservation of their cultural heritage along with their relationship with the environment and enhancing ecological knowledge.
Cultural Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence
Alongside ethics are cultural perspectives and they are wide. Though across all cultures, they hold similar fears of social disruption while also seeing benefits when used correctly. Cultural perspectives will play a role in developing how societies will adopt AI in the long term.
Western cultures consider AI to be a critical technology to gaining economic advantage both within their own countries and in global trade and of course, militarily. As Western cultures tend to be more individualistic, most perceive AI as to how it impacts them directly such as jobs, entertainment and the arts, either fearing it or seeing opportunity.
With a more community-oriented focus, Asian cultures have similar fears and optimism, but perceive and consider AI from a community-first mindset. Before thinking how AI will impact themselves ad individuals, they consider the community as a whole and their families. If AI products and services are seen to create disharmony culturally, they are less likely to be adopted.
Indigenous cultures perceive AI through the lens of their ecological knowledge and relationship with the environment and the role of AI from a community perspective.
African cultures have tended to take a more economic view of AI so far, trying to find ways it can help the continent grow and become more prosperous from a whole-of-society approach.
Japan is taking an interesting approach to AI tools as a whole, not just GAI. They created the Hiroshima AI Process for development of their ethical framework. Japan also has a societal vision which they call Society 5.0 where they want to connect cyber spaces and see AI as being the technology to enable that to happen. With significant concerns over a declining population, Japan sees technologies like AI and robotics playing a vital role in sociocultural survival.
Considerations of Many Cultural Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence (AI), especially Generative AI like LLMs (Large Language Models) is a very expensive technology to operate. It requires a lot of energy and tons of water to cool massive data centres. Developing nations will struggle to be able to afford building and operating the necessary infrastructure. This puts them at a disadvantage in terms of developing regulations, laws and ethical frameworks since they will have to rely on those nations who can afford to operate the infrastructure.
As well, in a time when the liberal world order is fracturing and the tendency to nationalize manufacturing and technologies like AI are seen as weapons not just militarily, but economically, this may add to difficulties for some cultures to effectively govern AI in a way that befits their cultural values and norms. Another reason why some societies are more afraid of AI than others.
It all makes for an interesting set of considerations around how AI will be adapted and developed over the longer term. It won’t all happen fast. GAI may yet prove not to be economical for humanity at this time. Massive leaps in chips and storage technology will be needed to bring costs down. Eventually, this will be accomplished. The question is when and there’s no answer to that.
There are some incredible opportunities and benefits for using various AI tools, some we’ve already seen such as health and environmental science for climate change. Some AI tools could enhance cultures and protect cultural heritage in interesting ways. As usual with humanity, figuring it out will all be a bit messy. But that’s how humans roll.
Our world is connected and our cultures too, unlike ever before. Technologies such as Artificial Intelligence can only be understood and truly evolve, in a global context.
Image Courtesy: Photo by Anika Huizinga on Unsplash
