As artificial intelligence paves the way for revolutionary changes in how businesses operate, it’s equally important that we pave the way for responsible AI use – lest we regret it. While new opportunities for efficiency-boosting, data-driven analysis, and automation present themselves as lucrative, risk-free gifts, they are not entirely cut and dried.
It’s better to think of AI deployment as a winding pattern, where each new rapid advancement intersects with more and more ethical questions that we can’t ignore. As Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) are the ones assigned to oversee and deploy various generative solutions, they’re the ones who must prioritize ethical values above all as part of their role.
Of course, it’s one thing to simply advise someone to abide by ethical standards, but it is an entirely different matter when implementing said considerations. To drive innovation and efficiency, you must make some crucial decisions regarding responsibility — decisions that we can help you with.
Establish Basic Guidelines
The continuous evolution of LLMs and image or audio-based Generative AIs provides us leaps in sophistication and – more importantly – autonomy. That’s the key word here, as matters of transparency, bias mitigation, and (especially) accountability become muddled in discussions concerning ownership rights. In any case, ‘avoiding legal issues’ is the name of the game.
Naturally, this matter should be brought up with the respective legal division — although some companies are slowly integrating dedicated AI ethics teams to help with the job. Additionally, your starting point will most likely concern the transparency of the people using the AI, not just the software itself.
In practice, this entails continuous software and on-site monitoring of users (if applicable), periodic reviews, and constant communication with the AI vendor you’re working with. It’s a two-way street, as you’ll actively request overviews of the info being fed to the AI in addition to providing reports on what’s being partially or wholly AI-generated within your company’s boundaries.
Adhere to AI Governance Frameworks
Outlining a set of in-company guidelines is only half of the equation. As you determine the aspects that fit the organization’s core image and principles, your gaze will eventually shift toward emerging governance frameworks. Notable examples include Google’s very own SAIF (Secure AI Framework) or the European Union’s AI Act.
Your company’s guidelines are only the underprop to the larger governance frameworks, which meticulously detail several concerns, including (but not limited to):
- Debiasing training for anti-discriminatory purposes
- Filtering of sensitive information
- Retaining intellectual oversight and improving explainability
- Adversarial training for mitigating “unsafe” prompts
Due to AI’s trainable yet self-learning nature, it’s in your organization’s best interest to promote the application of strictly defined data sets. Said data sets must leave little to no room for skewed information regarding laws, basic human ethics, or (in)appropriate profiling.
Receive Help from Auditing Tools
Identifying and addressing dangerous AI learning habits can be an arduous process, doubly so when you’re tasked with fostering transparency for stakeholders. Whereas monitoring people for accountability is within ‘normal’ scope, the task of implementing subjective ethics and values into the core operation of AI requires more than its fair share of homework to be done. That, and specialized auditing tools.
Indeed, scaling and baseline establishment are notably more manageable with dedicated data-logging and anomaly detection models and tools such as Vertex AI Model Monitoring or Microsoft’s Fairlearn, to name two significant examples. Both necessitate a human-in-the-loop approach — in other words, a way of ensuring that there’s human interaction and iteration during the machine-learning process.
Fairlearn is especially potent, depending on the industry in which it is used. For example, Fairlearn aims to rectify biases against people’s appearances in AI-supplemented hiring and analyzes dichotomies concerning gender and ethnicity in statistical overviews.
Collaborate with the Right People
As this article is being written, a seemingly endless amount of policies and regulations are being shaped to align with data protection laws and governance standards. Your best bet in tackling the issue of future AI ethics is to collaborate with policymakers and R&D sectors. After all, knowledge promotes genuine change, especially concerning open-source development and secure data sharing.
Furthermore, this proactive approach to AI helps improve the overall explainability and interpretability of the models. Collaborating and informing fosters a sustainable model for AI training — one that encourages trained AI to explain themselves and hold some level of accountability for their decision-making process.
Some Final Thoughts
If there’s one key takeaway here, it’s that responsible AI integration is an ongoing process, not a one-and-done deal. CTOs must not be discouraged from experimenting with different monitoring mechanisms in working spaces, as the task requires diligent evaluation for the sake of avoiding unintended consequences down the line. Moreover, clearly defined guidelines and designated roles nurture trust between stakeholders and individual users.
With room for trust, there’s plenty more for knowledge. Informing yourself on the complex domain of AI will take baby steps, but it’s far less overwhelming than you might think. A proactive approach to AI integration can lead to a future that upholds privacy principles, accountability, high standards for objectivity, and social benefits – among much, much more!