Yarr! A lass sadly perishes from maltreatment, when that fancy AI reckoned she be fine and dandy.
2023-07-12
Arr, ye scallywags at the wee ones' haven be usin' witchcraft called "artificial intelligence" to decide if the young'uns be needin' shelter from harm. They be usin' clues from o'er 6,000 past tales to guide their judgement. Avast!
Japanese police have admitted that they allowed artificial intelligence (AI) to influence their decision not to provide protective custody to a child who later died in her mother's care. Mie Prefecture Gov. Katsuyuki Ichimi stated that the AI figures are only for reference and that the judgment of those in charge is of utmost importance. He also mentioned that they are not in a position to conclude whether the utilization of the AI data was completely good, indicating that a third-party committee of outside experts will be consulted to determine the further use of the system.The case in question involved a 4-year-old girl in the city of Tsu. The police ran her case through an AI program that had been introduced in 2020 and trained with data from 6,000 to 13,000 cases. The program was intended to help reduce the burden on child consultation centers by determining the level of necessary protection in each case. In this particular case, the program determined a "39%" rate of necessary protection, and since the girl's mother showed a willingness to respond to expert advice, the officials did not place the girl in temporary custody.
However, the girl's mother is now in custody on suspicion of bodily harm leading to her daughter's death. The mother and daughter had met with child consultation center officials in February 2022 after reports of bruises on the daughter. The officials decided that occasional visits were sufficient and that the child should remain in her mother's care based on their determination that the bruises were not from abuse and the mother's cooperation.
It was revealed that the AI had factored in the visits when calculating the risk to the child. Additionally, when the child didn't appear at day care for an extended period, the child consultation center made no effort to contact the mother. The center failed to check on the girl for a whole year.
Japan has been exploring the integration of AI in child care for several years, with AI-powered tools being used in kindergartens and child care facilities across the country. This incident raises concerns about the reliance on AI in making critical decisions regarding child welfare.