“AI systems should be developed and operated in a manner that respects internationally recognized human rights”, declares IEEE

This is a big win for the Artificial Intelligence community. IEEE has released a statement from the IEEE Board of Directors stating that the committee will now support the inclusion of ethical considerations in the design and deployment of autonomous and intelligent systems (A/IS).

The IEEE committee recognizes that present AI systems present new social, legal and ethical challenges. They also have to address issues of systemic risk, diminishing trust, privacy challenges and issues of data transparency, ownership and agency. Therefore, there is a need for developers of such systems to use practices and standards that respect and acknowledge the ethical obligation of such systems in their human and social context.

Concrete steps taken by IEEE

A/IS systems should be developed and operated in a manner that respects internationally recognized human rights.

A/IS developers should consider impact on individual and societal well-being to be central in development.

Developers should respect each individual’s ability to maintain appropriate control over their personal data and identifying information.

Developers and operators should consider the effectiveness and fitness of A/IS technologies for the purpose of their systems.

Technical basis of particular decisions made by an A/IS should be discoverable.

A/IS should be designed and operated in a manner that permits production of an unambiguous rationale for the decisions made by the system.

Designers of A/IS creators should consider and guard against potential misuses and operational risks.

Designers of A/IS should specify and operators should possess the knowledge and skills required for safe and effective operation.

To that extent, the IEEE committee has taken various initiatives to build ethically aligned AI systems.

In March, they released a report, “Ethically Aligned Design – A Vision for Prioritizing Human Well-being with Autonomous and Intelligent Systems, Edition 1.0,” that sets forth scientific analysis and resources, high-level principles and actionable recommendations for ethical implementation of A/IS.

They also launched the IEEE Tech Ethics program which seeks to ensure that ethical and societal implications of technology become an integral part of the development process by driving conversation and debate on these issues. The IEEE Code of Ethics also showcases IEEE’s commitment to ethical design and the societal implications of intelligent systems.

In a statement the IEEE committee said, “IEEE is committed to developing trust in technologies through transparency, technical community building, and partnership across regions and nations, as a service to humanity. Measures that ensure that A/IS are developed and deployed with appropriate ethical consideration for human and societal values will enhance trust in these technologies, which in turn will increase the ability of the technologies to achieve much broader beneficial societal impacts.”

The news was quite well received by the developer community after John C. Havens, Executive Director at The IEEE Global Initiative on Ethics of Autonomous and Intelligent Systems shared the news on Twitter.

Users called it as arguably the most globally impactful step in this space and a milestone for all.

https://twitter.com/jameshorton/status/1145900183042973698

https://twitter.com/GReal1111/status/1145826945336262662

Some pointed out that all tech companies should sign on to this statement.

https://twitter.com/Dktr_Sus/status/1145866352176979968

Read the full report here.

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