Responsible AI—Two Frameworks for Ethical Design Practice

We recently joined together with technology philosophers, Karina Vold and Diana Robinson to bring together two frameworks for ethical design practice and to present a case study of ethical analysis in the application context of text-based digital mental health.  The article was published as "Responsible AI—Two Frameworks for Ethical Design Practice" in IEEE Transactions on Technology and Society ( Volume: 1, Issue: 1, March 2020).

Abstract:

In 2019, the IEEE launched the P7000 standards projects intended to address ethical issues in the design of autonomous and intelligent systems. This move came amidst a growing public concern over the unintended consequences of artificial intelligence (AI), compounded by the lack of an anticipatory process for attending to ethical impact within professional practice. However, the difficulty in moving from principles to practice presents a significant challenge to the implementation of ethical guidelines. Herein, we describe two complementary frameworks for integrating ethical analysis into engineering practice to help address this challenge. We then provide the outcomes of an ethical analysis informed by these frameworks, conducted within the specific context of Internet-delivered therapy in digital mental health. We hope both the frameworks and analysis can provide tools and insights, not only for the context of digital healthcare but also for data-enabled and intelligent technology development more broadly.