FTC: Companies Should Use Caution When Relying On AI Tools To Curtail Online Harms

Highlights

• The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is critical of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to combat "online harms." In a recent report by the agency issued in response to Congress' inquiry, the FTC found that the use of AI has not significantly curtailed online harms overall.
• The FTC raised significant concerns that AI tools can be ineffective, inaccurate, biased and discriminatory, in light of the lack of transparency and accountability in large technology companies and platforms regarding the use of AI algorithms and datasets.
• Platforms, decision-makers, policymakers, and companies that use AI to identify harmful content must exercise great caution in either mandating the use of or overrelying on AI tools.