Ethical and legal implications of using AI-powered recommendation systems in streaming services

Abstract

Recommendation engines are commonly used in the entertainment industry to keep users glued in front of their screens. These engines are becoming increasingly sophisticated as machine learning tools are being built into ever-more complex AI-driven systems that enable providers to effectively map user preferences. The utilization of AI-powered tools, however, has serious ethical and legal implications. Some of the emerging issues are already being addressed by ethical codes, developed by international organizations and supranational bodies. The present study aimed to address the key challenges posed by AI-powered content recommendation engines. Consequently, this paper introduces the relevant rules present in the existing ethical guidelines and elaborates on how they are to be applied within the streaming industry. The paper strives to adopt a critical standpoint towards the provisions of the ethical guidelines in place, arguing that adopting a one-size-fits all approach is not effective due to the specificities of the content distribution industry.