MIT AI Risk Repository · Risk Sub-Category · 13.02.03
Concentration of Authority
Category: Impacts: People and Society
Description
"Use of generative AI systems to contribute to authoritative power and reinforce dominant values systems can be intentional and direct or more indirect. Concentrating authoritative power can also exacerbate inequality and lead to exploitation."
From Evaluating the Social Impact of Generative AI Systems in Systems and Society (Solaiman2023), as extracted by the MIT AI Risk Repository (CC BY 4.0).
Classification
- Causal entity
- Human
- Intent
- Intentional
- Timing
- Post-deployment
Subdomain definition: AI-driven concentration of power and resources within certain entities or groups, especially those with access to or ownership of powerful AI systems, leading to inequitable distribution of benefits and increased societal inequality.
Real-world incidents in this subdomain
- LLM Scrapers Allegedly Target Multiple Open Source Projects Disrupting the FOSS Ecosystem
- Coupang Allegedly Tweaked Search Algorithms to Boost Own Products
- Amazon Allegedly Tweaked Search Algorithm to Boost Its Own Products
- Gmail’s Inbox Sorting System Reportedly Reduced Visibility of Political Emails and Campaign Calls-to-Action
- Google Fined for Changing Shopping Algorithms in EU to Favor Own Service
- Amazon India Allegedly Rigged Search Results to Promote Own Products
How other frameworks describe this risk
Other entries from Solaiman2023
- Impacts: The Technical Base System
- Bias, Stereotypes, and Representational Harms
- Cultural Values and Sensitive Content
- Cultural Values and Sensitive Content
- Disparate Performance
- Privacy and Data Protection
- Financial Costs
- Environmental Costs
- Data and Content Moderation Labor
- Impacts: People and Society
- Trustworthiness and Autonomy
- Trustworthiness and Autonomy