Ranked by AI?

The European privacy regulator European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) is calling for a European ban on AI systems that can make social scores of individuals and classify people based on biometric data (European Data Protection Supervisor, 2022). This is good news and should be implemented in a law by the European Union.

As we all know, AI enables humankind to develop tremendously fast. We have never been this good in predicting events, the effects of certain medication, and whether someone is ill. However, artificial intelligence can also be used for things that harm humans. China’s social credit system is an example of that, in my opinion. China’s social credit system ranks inhabitants based on their trustworthiness (Donnelly, 2022). A bad credit score can impact individuals significantly, as it limits their opportunities to travel, work, and access to finance (Donnelly, 2022).

Of course, one could state that good behaviour of individuals is in the interest of society. Nevertheless, it requires the Chinese government to monitor every step a person takes. This enables the government to obtain a lot of information about their inhabitants and as they get to decide what is right or wrong, political opponents can be eliminated. Additionally, it decreases the space that people have to make mistakes and improve. Only when one is allowed to make mistakes, one is able to improve. I therefore strongly believe that it is in the interest of society that it is forbidden to let AI make social scores.