While the world is in a race to deploy AI, the key voice in technology ethics warns that speed will prioritize safety.
Suvianna Grecu, founder of the AI For Change Foundation, claims that without immediate and strong governance, they are on the path of “automating harm at scale.”
Speaking of AI integration into key sectors, Grecu believes that the most pressing ethical danger is not the technology itself, but the lack of structure surrounding its deployment.
A powerful system makes life-changing decisions about everything from job search and credit scores to healthcare and criminal justice.
For many organizations, AI ethics continues to be a document of lofty principles rather than a daily operational reality. Grecu argues that true accountability only begins when someone is truly responsible for the outcome. The gap between intent and implementation is where there is actual risk.
The Grecu Foundation defends the transition from abstract ideas to concrete actions. This involves incorporating ethical considerations directly into the development workflow through practical tools such as design checklists, mandatory pre-deployment risk assessments, and sensual review boards that connect legal, technical and policy teams.
According to GRECU, the key is establishing clear ownership at every stage and creating a transparent, reproducible process just like any other core business function. This practical approach is attempting to advance ethical AI and transform it from a philosophical discussion into a set of manageable everyday tasks.
Partnerships to build trust in AI and mitigate risk
With regard to enforcement, Grecu has made it clear that responsibility cannot be left solely to the government or industry. “In either case, it has to be both,” she says, advocating a joint model.
This partnership requires governments to set legal boundaries and minimum standards, especially when fundamental human rights are at risk. Regulations provide mandatory floors. However, the industry has the agility and technical talent to innovate beyond mere compliance.
Companies are great for creating sophisticated auditing tools, creating new safeguards for pioneers, and pushing the boundaries of what responsible technology can achieve.
Leaving governance entirely to the regulator risks restraining the very innovation we need, leaving it to the businesses alone. “Collaboration is the only sustainable route to move forward,” Grecu claims.
Promoting a value-driven future
Grecu looks beyond the immediate challenges, but is concerned about the more subtle and long-term risks that are under-attention, namely the urgent need for emotional manipulation and value-driven technology.
As AI systems become more adept at persuading and affecting human emotions, she warns that we are not prepared for the impact we have on individual autonomy.
A central tenet of her work is the idea that technology is not neutral. “AIs are not driven by values unless they are intentionally constructed,” she warns. It is a common misconception that AI simply reflects the world. In reality, it reflects the data we supply it, the purpose of assigning it, and the outcomes we reward.
Without intentional intervention, AI will always optimize for metrics such as efficiency, scale, profit, and more, rather than abstract ideals such as justice, dignity, democracy, and so on, which naturally affects social trust. This is why conscious and positive efforts are needed to determine what value you want to promote in technology.
For Europe, this presents an important opportunity. “If AI wants to serve humans (not just the market), it needs to protect and embed European values such as human rights, transparency, sustainability, inclusion, equity, policy, design, deployment,” explains Grecu.
This is not to stop progress. As she concludes, it is to control the story and actively “shape it before it shapes us.”
Through her work, including public workshops and upcoming AI & Big Data Expo Europe, in Europe, where Grecu will chair the second day of the event, she is building a coalition to guide the evolution of AI and raise trust by keeping humanity at its center.
(Makanaya according to the photo)
reference: AI obsessions sacrifice human skills to us
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