Bad AI (Artificial Intelligence) : Is AI always good ?

Dr Kishorjit Nongmeikapam, Gaitri Kangujam, Baby Ningthoujam, Bharat Huirem
Contd from previous issue
A global retail company was found injecting tracking cookies from 37 different domains into users’ devices without proper consent, due to misconfigured cookie management and ineffective security controls. These cookies allowed third-party advertisers to track users across websites, unbeknownst to them, thereby violating privacy rules. The incident revealed how cookies embedded via third- party iFrames and VPN-related blind spots complicate ensuring cookie consent com- pliance and privacy protection.
Bad AI can cause serious harm by spreading false information, invading pri- vacy, deepening inequality, and even making dangerous decisions without human under- standing. Left unchecked, it could weaken trust in technology and threaten human safety. Moving forward, the danger of “Bad AI” does not lie only in the machines themselves, but in how humans design, control, and use them. Preventing harmful outcomes requires creating strict regulations, ensuring transparency in AI systems, reducing bias in data and keeping human oversight in decision making. Education and ethical responsibility must guide both developers and users. If we take these steps, the outcome will not be a future ruled by harmful AI or Bad AI, but one where AI advances human civilization.
The choice is open to human, whether to choose Good AI or Bad AI.  The writers are with the Dept of Computer Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Manipur