What Bridges Teach Us about Ethics of AI
How history of bridges informs us on the significance of ethical AI.
Today’s AI reminds me of the early days of building bridges. The very first bridges were arched, made of masonry, stone or wood as those were the most plentiful material at that time. The builders tried different designs and learned from trial and error that arch bridges worked well, partly because of the insight on how their shape distributed the load to abutments. The actual theory behind such bridges was not known for a long time but the architects and engineers kept on making incremental innovations to arched bridges. Once the underlying science improved and stronger, more cost-efficient materials were available, bridge construction was transformed.
So the first lesson is about engineering solutions even if the full working is unknown — it has its benefits and problems. Many of the early bridges failed because of flooding or heavy load. Some bridges were over-engineered to compensate for the lack of understanding. The early bridge structures were not very efficient. But still, many of these bridges worked and a few masterpieces are still around.
