Tim Berners-Lee Wants to Know: 'Who Does AI Work For?'

Amid all the talk of generative AI tools, agents and autonomous robots at South by Southwest, the inventor of the World Wide Web raised a simple point that developers will have to grapple with if the vision of AI everywhere is to come to life. "The question is, who does it work for?" Tim Berners-Lee said Tuesday during a panel otherwise focused on robotics at the Austin, Texas, conference. Trust in AI systems such as chatbots has been a focal point of discussions at SXSW this year. That includes conversations around the use of synthetic data and ways to regulate the AI industry. Berners-Lee's question drove to the heart of the issue: A company can make its AI models reliable, accurate and unbiased. But because they were created by large corporations, there will always be the question of whether they have the manufacturer's or the user's interest at heart. He made a comparison with doctors and lawyers. Your doctor may be employed by a university, health care system or practice, but ... Read full article.