PARIS (AFP) – Despite increasing concerns about the ethical risks posed by rapidly developing artificial intelligence (AI) applications, employers are paying little attention to the issue in recruiting, an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) study said yesterday.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development searched online job offers for AI posts in 14 countries.
It found that while the percentage including keywords relating to ethics had increased sharply in the past four years, it still remained very low at an average of 0.4 per cent in 2022.
“Results indicate that in the majority of countries, less than one per cent of all vacancies mentioned keywords associated with AI ethics,” the OECD said.
In the United States in 2019 only 0.1 per cent of all online job postings for AI professionals mentioned any keyword associated with ethics in AI.
These were for vacancies requiring prospective workers to possess skills related to AI development and use, but the figure had risen to 0.5 per cent in 2022.
New Zealand had the highest result of 1.6 per cent in 2022.
“This suggests that despite strong commitments on the part of countries and stated intentions on the part of AI development firms, ethics in AI is not yet prioritised in hiring decisions,” said the report.
“These considerations should be prioritised.”
The release of ChatGPT and other AI systems has captivated the public and offered a glimpse into the technology’s potential.
