Happiness is the next AI KPI if Oxford boffins have their way
Researchers say public subsidies for AI should be repaid in wellbeing, not just economic growth
A team of Oxford researchers proposes a new metric for evaluating artificial intelligence technology: happiness. In their paper, "Optimising for happiness in EU technology policy to repay public subsidies for AI," published in the Royal Society Open Science, academics argue that taxpayers funding AI development should receive a "happiness dividend" in return.
The researchers, led by Professor Sandra Wachter of the Oxford Internet Institute, contend that while economic growth and risk mitigation are important goals, the benefits of AI should also be measured by how it positively impacts people's well-being.
The team highlights that data collected from creative work, social media posts, and user interactions have been used to train AI models, leading to numerous lawsuits. They argue that while making technology less harmful is crucial, it is not enough to ensure it is socially beneficial. Factors such as relatedness, competence, and autonomy—elements that AI can potentially undermine—must be considered when evaluating its impact on society.
The researchers propose that companies receiving public support for AI development should predict how their technologies will improve happiness and well-being, holding them accountable for delivering those benefits. With the EU allocating €20 billion for AI gigafactories and €700 million through Horizon research projects, the pressure is on for AI industry players to consider the human cost of their innovations.
As datacenters become denser and more powerful, they consume more energy, potentially driving up household electricity bills. The cost of memory chips is also on the rise, and water usage for cooling server racks adds to environmental concerns. The difficulty in accessing data from model makers and cloud providers further complicates efforts to assess the environmental impact of AI.
While the researchers acknowledge that profits may still take precedence over people's well-being, they argue that finding ways to improve human happiness is essential. Will AI model makers heed this call? Only time will tell.
Written by urgent.news from The Register's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
