AI ethics for business – Part 1

I recently joined a small group of E&C professionals who decided to complete the free online course on AI Ethics for Business, offered by Seattle University.

We agreed to complete a module or two every week and to share our insights. Here are some of my insights from Module 1:

Every organization engaged in developing AI should identify the principles and values that will guide their efforts. So far, it seems that only large technology companies or professional associations have published their principles. But with regulators now starting to weigh in, organizations should accelerate their work.
From Google to Microsoft to the IEEE, the principles articulated are all based on similar values. My favorite value when it comes to AI ethics is transparency. If we can clearly and completely articulate what the autonomous system is doing for the human, and how, we can address many of the current and future concerns around AI.
People face ethical dilemmas all the time and they come up with excuses to avoid resolving them. A common excuse, which I find particularly relevant to AI ethics in business, is “hurry”, or the pressure that most employees feel to deliver products and services quickly. People want to be seen as efficient, as meeting goals, as contributing to the overall success of the company. But we all know that pressure is a key element of fraud, which, in the case of AI, can lead to disastrous effects.

To read more about this topic and about my colleagues’ insights, please visit this thread on LinkedIn.

Hitting back

A Houston Astros player was deliberately hit by a pitcher yesterday. It happened during the team’s first Spring training game following their cheating scandal.

Many say the player had it coming. Many still expect the team will suffer such revenge throughout the season. The anger is understandable. But with 30 teams in the league, the way to distinguish yourself as a team this season is to be the one that doesn’t pick on the Astros.

This event reminded me of a situation I faced early in my career. The company I worked for imposed “austerity measures” to weather through some difficult times. Employees were upset about the measures and vowed to strike back at management by doing nothing more than the absolute minimum. My supervisor called for a special team meeting and explained that this was our time to shine. We would be the only department that didn’t complain or strike back. In fact, we would now go beyond the call of duty. I’ll spare you the details, but it worked out really well for all of us, in both the short and long term.

The companies we work for operate in industries with competitors. Some competitors play fair, some don’t. We should not compromise our business ethics simply because a competitor cheated us.

Top to bottom

Your organization’s code of conduct identifies and defines the core values of your organization. This is helpful, assuming people read the code.

Your organization’s leadership speaks regularly about those core values. This is very helpful, assuming they personally live those values.

Your direct supervisor exhibits behaviors, on a daily basis, in line with the core values. This is when the values come to life.

We need a code. We need the right tone at the top. But more importantly, we need supervisors that are empowered to do the right thing and held accountable.

Choosing between two “rights”

Imagine you are the pilot of a large, long-range commercial aircraft and you need to make an emergency landing right after take-off. You must decide between dumping fuel over a populated area or landing too heavy and risking an explosion. What do you do?

It’s a difficult decision to make because both options are risky. If one option was risk-free, it would be a lot easier.

And so it goes with ethical dilemmas. Choosing between right and wrong is not difficult. The difficulty is in choosing between two rights.