MIT AI Risk Repository · Risk Sub-Category · 16.06.04
Disparate access to benefits due to hardware, software, skill constraints
Category: Risk area 6: Environmental and Socioeconomic harms
Description
Due to differential internet access, language, skill, or hardware requirements, the benefits from LMs are unlikely to be equally accessible to all people and groups who would like to use them. Inaccessibility of the technology may perpetuate global inequities by disproportionately benefiting some groups. Language-driven technology may increase accessibility to people who are illiterate or suffer from learning disabilities. However, these benefits depend on a more basic form of accessibility based on hardware, internet connection, and skill to operate the system
From Taxonomy of Risks posed by Language Models (Weidinger2022), as extracted by the MIT AI Risk Repository (CC BY 4.0).
Classification
- Causal entity
- Human
- Intent
- Unintentional
- 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 Weidinger2022
- Risk area 1: Discrimination, Hate speech and Exclusion
- Social stereotypes and unfair discrimination
- Social stereotypes and unfair discrimination.
- Hate speech and offensive language
- Exclusionary norms
- Exclusionary norms
- Exclusionary norms
- Exclusionary norms
- Exclusionary norms
- Lower performance for some languages and social groups
- Lower performance for some languages and social groups
- Lower performance for some languages and social groups