From virtual assistants to search engines and smart home devices, many of us are familiar with the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI). In the January 2024 issue of American Psychologist (IF: 16.4), Mathias K. Hauglid and Brita Elvevåg (both affiliated with SPKI) and colleagues discuss the ethical and legal implications of using AI to analyze speech and language in psychological research and clinical applications.
The authors argue that recent computational advances in automatic speech recognition, natural language processing, and machine learning offer extraordinary opportunities for researchers to better understand human thought and communication, automate time-intensive assessments, evaluate a variety of cognitive and psychiatric conditions, and provide psychological information and care. However, the adoption of these tools requires careful consideration of several ethical and legal issues, including transparency and explainability, human agency and oversight, and equity and non-discrimination, so as not to exacerbate the risks in their use.
Hauglid, Elvevåg and colleagues provide a framework for translating general ethical principles into specific guidance for using AI to analyze speech and language in psychological research and practice. You can access their article here.
