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The vast amount of data coming from various sources is fueling impressive advancements in artificial intelligence (AI). But as AI technology develops quickly, it’s crucial to handle data in an ethical and responsible way.
Making sure AI systems are fair and protecting user privacy has become a top priority — not just for non-profits but also for bigger tech companies — be it Google, Microsoft, or Meta. These companies are working hard to address the ethical issues that come with AI.
One big concern is that AI systems can, at times, reinforce biases in the event that they are not trained on the best quality data. Facial recognition technologies have been known to show bias against certain races and genders in some cases.
This occurs because the algorithms, which are computerized methods for analyzing and identifying faces by comparing them to database images, are often inaccurate.
Another way AI can worsen ethical issues is with privacy and data protection. Since AI needs a huge amount of data to learn and combine, it can create many new risks to data protection.
Because of these challenges, businesses must adopt practical strategies for managing data ethically. This article explores how companies can leverage AI to handle data responsibly while maintaining fairness and privacy.
Related: How to Use AI in an Ethical Way
The growing need for ethical AI
AI applications can have unexpected negative effects on businesses if not used carefully. Faulty or biased AI can lead to compliance issues, governance problems, and harm to a company’s reputation. These problems often come from issues like rushing development, not understanding the technology and poor quality checks.
Big companies have faced serious problems by mishandling these issues. For example, Amazon’s machine learning team stopped developing a talent evaluation app in 2015 because it was trained mainly on resumes from men. As a result, the app favored male job applicants more than female ones.
Another example is Microsoft’s Tay chatbot, which was created to learn from interactions with Twitter users. Unfortunately, users soon fed it offensive and racist language, and the chatbot began repeating these harmful phrases. Microsoft had to shut it down the next day.
To avoid these risks, more organizations are creating ethical AI guidelines and frameworks. But just having these principles isn’t enough. Businesses also need strong governance controls, including tools to manage processes and track audits.
Related: AI Marketing vs. Human Expertise: Who Wins the Battle and Who Wins the War?
Companies that use solid data management strategies (given below), guided by an ethics board and supported by proper training, can reduce the risks of unethical AI use.
1. Foster transparency
As business leaders, it’s essential to focus on transparency in your AI practices. This means clearly explaining how your algorithms work, what data you use, and any possible biases.
While customers and users are the main focus for these explanations — developers, partners and other stakeholders also need to understand this information. This approach helps everyone trust and understand the AI systems you’re using.
2. Establish clear ethical guidelines
Using AI ethically begins with creating strong guidelines that address key issues such as accountability, explainability, fairness, privacy, and transparency.
To gain different perspectives on these issues, you must involve diverse development teams.
What is more important is to focus on laying down clear guiding principles than getting bogged down with detailed rules for the same. This step aids in keeping focused on the bigger picture of AI ethics implementation.
3. Adopt bias detection and mitigation techniques
Use tools and techniques to find and fix biases in AI models. Techniques such as fairness-aware machine learning can help make your AI outcomes fairer.
It’s that part of the domain of machine learning specifically concerned with developing AI models toward making unbiased decisions. The objective is to reduce or totally eliminate the discriminatory biases associated with sensitive factors like age, race, gender, or socio-economic status.
4. Incentivize employees for identifying AI ethical risks
Ethical standards can be at risk if people are financially motivated to act unethically. Conversely, if ethical behavior isn’t financially rewarded, it might get ignored.
A company’s values are often shown in how it spends its money. If employees don’t see a budget for a strong data and AI ethics program, they might focus more on what benefits their own careers.
So it’s important to reward employees for their efforts in supporting and promoting a data ethics program.
5. Look to the Government for guidance
Creating a solid plan for ethical AI development needs both governments and businesses to work together — one without the other can lead to issues.
Governments are essential for creating clear rules and guidelines. On the other hand, businesses need to follow these rules by being transparent and regularly reviewing their practices.
6. Prioritize user consent and control
Everyone wants control over their own lives, and the same applies to their data. Respecting user consent and giving people control over their personal information is key to handling data responsibly. It makes sure individuals understand what they’re agreeing to, including any risks and benefits.
Ensure your systems have features that let users easily manage their data preferences and access. This approach builds trust and helps you follow ethical standards.
7. Conduct regular audits
Leaders should regularly check for biases in algorithms and make sure the training data includes a variety of different groups. Get your team involved — they can provide useful insights on ethical issues and potential problems.
Related: How AI Is Being Used to Increase Transparency and Accountability in the Workplace
8. Avoid using sensitive data
When working with machine learning models, it’s smart to see if you can train them without using any sensitive data. You can look into alternatives like non-sensitive data or public sources.
However, studies show that to ensure decision models are fair and non-discriminatory, such as regarding race, sensitive racial information may need to be included during the model-building process. Once the model is complete, though, race should not be used as an input for making decisions.
Using AI responsibly and ethically isn’t easy. It takes commitment from top leaders and teamwork across all departments. Companies that focus on this approach will not only cut down on risks but also use new technologies more effectively.
Ultimately, they’ll become exactly what their customers, clients, and employees want: trustworthy.
