People are talking a lot about artificial intelligence (AI), viewing it as a force that could reshape how society works. But there is something important missing from this discussion. It isn’t enough to ask how it will change us. We also need to understand how we shape AI and what it can tell us about ourselves.

Every AI model we develop mirrors our rules and expresses our beliefs. A few years ago, while looking for new workers, a famous company gave up an AI-powered tool after finding it unfavorable to women. The AI was not designed to behave this way, instead, it was influenced by the historical data (数据) favoring men. Similarly, a recent study found that lending algorithms (算法) often offer less favorable terms to colored people, worsening long-standing unfairness in money-lending business. In both cases, AI isn’t creating new biases (偏见), it is mirroring the ones that are already present.

These reflections (反映) give us an important chance to take a close look at ourselves. By making these problems seen and more pressing, AI challenges us to recognize and address what causes algorithmic bias. As AI continues to develop, we must ask ourselves how we as average people want to shape its role in society. We should not only improve AI models, but also make sure that AI is developed and used responsibly.

A number of companies are already taking action. They are judging the data, rules, and beliefs that shape the behavior of AI models. Still, we cannot expect the companies to do all the work. As long as AI is trained on human data, it will reflect human behavior. That means we have to think carefully about the footprints of ourselves we leave in the world. I may value privacy, but if I give it up in a heartbeat to visit a website, the algorithms may make a very different judgment of what I really want and what is good for me. If I want meaningful human connections yet spend more time on social media and less time in the physical company of my friends, I am indirectly training AI models about the true nature of humanity.

As AI becomes more powerful, we need to take increasing care to read our principles (原则) into the record of our actions rather than allowing the two to diverge. Recognizing this allows us to make better decisions, but only when we are prepared to look closely and take responsibility for what we see.