AMSTERDAM, October 12, 2023 – The Responsible AI Conference, held at the #LAB42 Amsterdam Science Park, witnessed a keynote speech on the 9th of October by Dr Mark Leiser, a leading authority in the field of Digital Legal and Platform Regulation from VU Amsterdam.
Dr Leiser’s presentation centered on “psychological patterns,” offering attendees an insightful exploration into the intricacies of human cognition and its interactions with artificial intelligence and deceptive design. Covering a broad spectrum of topics, Dr. Leiser delved into:
- Dark Patterns and Deceptive Design
- The current landscape of regulatory efforts to end the scourge of dark patterns.
- The intricate psychological patterns underpinning AI systems and how they could be used to manipulate and trick users into psychological harm.
- The nuances of the AI Act and how the proposed text of Article 5 of the AI Act does
Those in attendance included a distinguished roster of high-profile policymakers, academics, experts, and representatives from influential companies. The event provided a unique platform for discourse and collaboration among leaders in the AI community, including Brando Benifei from the European Parliament, Irina Orssich of the European Commission, and esteemed academics like Jelle Zuidema from the University of Amsterdam.
In his address, Dr Leiser intertwined the technical aspects of AI with the profound psychological patterns that could drive users into dangerous behaviors. Moreover, a segment of Dr Leiser’s address was his elucidation on the differences between “dark patterns” in online interfaces and those embedded within system architectures. While many might conflate the two, Dr Leiser emphasised that patterns in the system architecture are notably unregulated by the Digital Services Act. This presents a significant gap in current regulations. Although Article 5 of the AI Act seemingly offers a beacon of hope in this realm, Dr. Leiser argued that, upon a meticulous examination, it falls short in providing the level of protection that society truly needs from these insidious “Psychological Patterns”. For those keen on diving deeper into this topic, Dr. Leiser’s presentation slides can be accessed here; a copy of the talk is available here.
The Responsible AI Conference also marked the kickoff for #WorldAIWeek 2023, further underscoring the significance of Dr Leiser’s keynote in setting the tone for discussions and advancements in the AI sector for the coming year.
Note: For those who missed the opportunity to attend, details of the conference and further events can be found here.
#RAIConference #AIAct #AITreaty #ChatGPT #GENAI
