It’s fair to say the development of AI crypto trading has racked up speed in recent years. With new technologies springing up all over the place, it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. But in a world where we’ll be increasingly relying on AI to help us with our work and daily tasks (including trading), it’s essential not to neglect the ethics of the technology.
Let’s examine some ethical factors to account for when it comes to cryptocurrency AI trading.
Bias
Language learning models like ChatGPT and image generation tools have demonstrated AI’s potential for bias. Many users of image generation tools have noticed they often perpetuate stereotypes — for instance, they may generate an image of a man if a person asks for a doctor.
This tendency for bias and discrimination could also affect AI crypto trading, albeit in somewhat different ways.
Training data (information fed to algorithms to teach them to make predictions) can often be biased. This may be unintentional, but it can bias AI to make decisions favoring certain groups (e.g., majority owners of a cryptocurrency) by manipulating the market.
Transparency
Transparency has always been a major theme in the cryptocurrency world. Crypto purists have always pursued decentralization, and developers of protocols like Bitcoin ensured all transactions were public (behind anonymous addresses) for transparency.
Yet transparency has also been an ongoing issue. For instance, some crypto wallets and exchanges have failed to disclose their liquid holdings of cryptocurrencies.
This is a critical ethical consideration in AI crypto trading. Developers have a responsibility to let the public know which datasets they’re using to train AI and issues they encounter (such as those involving bias) so users are aware of the full picture.
Data privacy
An area closely linked to transparency is that of data privacy. When users sign up to use an AI crypto trading platform, they give away sensitive information, such as their identity and trading activity.
This will become especially important as regulation develops and requires platforms to conduct more stringent security checks on their users (rather than allowing them to remain anonymous).
Platforms are responsible for safeguarding this information, maintaining their users’ privacy, and keeping their data safe from hackers, who often target cryptocurrency platforms, such as AI crypto trading bot or app.
Accessibility
AI crypto trading has the potential to make trading tools more widely available than ever before. While financial markets trading has traditionally had high barriers to entry, AI tools could level the playing field. This would be a major ethical victory.
However, platforms must take the necessary steps to make their ecosystems more inclusive.
This includes making tools available to newer traders with limited experience and people from diverse backgrounds. Platforms also play an important role in encouraging users to be responsible by ensuring they understand the risks involved in trading.
An AI future with integrity
As artificial intelligence evolves, it’s critical not to lose sight of the moral landscape. AI crypto trading platforms must ensure their tools are accessible and transparent while keeping bias at a minimum safeguarding sensitive data.