Taking responsibility is not easy; indeed, it can weigh heavily. It makes those who are willing to bear it more morally sound – politicians, for example. But no one carries it lightly. This burden needs to be well thought out. It is understandable that some people shirk it from time to time.

Author & Copyright: Andrea Deinert via blogs.sas.com 

Considering the ambivalent effect of responsibility, it is astonishing that this human value has found its way into something technological, namely artificial intelligence. The field is talking about responsible AI, that is, responsible artificial intelligence. What exactly does this mean?

In discussions about AI responsibility at a panel of Swiss Cognitive, terms like reliability come up. Like this: Do I stick with my AI through thick and thin? Does that mean a form of decency? Integrity and impeccability could also be assigned to it. Or is AI even supposed to be loyal?

Could it be that AI is supposed to be exactly the opposite of its human inventors? Are we constructing an ideal world for ourselves with our AI? Humans do not always act responsibly, do not always behave righteously and are not always loyal. Nevertheless, our AI is supposed to be all of these things. Or do the experts ultimately mean that AI should be held responsible for our actions so that we are off the hook?

Let’s try to lure the camel through the eye of the needle

Let’s start with a statement from Dr Jacques Ludik, AI expert, smart technology entrepreneur and author of Democratizing Artificial Intelligence to Benefit Everyone, who said that “although it is clear that ethical AI principles such as human autonomy, prevention of harm, fairness and explicability provides a foundation for responsible or trustworthy AI, it seems that ethical AI have many nuances which leads to do different interpretations.” He further states that “it is in the best interest of humanity’s future and beneficial outcomes, that we should work hard to get everyone aligned on key ethical principles”.

 Danilo McGarry, member of the EU AI Alliance, agrees and says that this is so “because ethics means something different to everyone. What is ethical is determined by the social environment.” As a commissioner, he chats out of the closet: “Every government interprets ethics differently.”

He sums up: “That’s why it’s easier for us to agree on the term responsible AI than ethical AI.” He is hoping for a common value framework in the European Union with all the country-specific societal differences. After two years, the first draft is in place. […]

Read more by Andrea Deinert via blogs.sas.com 

Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe to our AI NAVIGATOR!