ETHICS
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“ There ’ s no one-sizefits-all approach to guarantee ethical decision making when using AI systems ”
— Jabe Wilson , Consulting director for text and data analytics , Elsevier R & D Solutions
the workings of the scientists who interpreted the results so that there can be accountability at every step .
“ We need greater transparency around how AI tools operate and how they have reached the conclusions that they have . Not every firm can easily challenge the algorithms these systems are based on , especially researchers without a background in data science . However , every firm can , and should , do more to improve the quality and cleanliness of their data to make sure undetected biases are removed .”
Accountability is central to the role of ethics in AI . Should injury , damage or death occur , who should take the rap : owner or manufacturer ?
Chris Holder and Ralph Giles are lawyers specialising in robotics and AI at
technology law firm Bristows . Their view : “ When there is a dispute , there are usually multiple factors in play and each case will turn on its facts . To avoid the ethics of the decisions made by AI being another issue to consider , ideally , responsibilities should be clearly attributed and shared at the outset .
“ We can perhaps draw from data protection and cyber security best practice principles of ‘ Privacy by Design ’ and ‘ Security by Design ’ respectively , whereby companies would be responsible for identifying the impact and potential issues that may arise when AI
DECEMBER 2020