Business leaders across industries are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance business efficiency and productivity. However, along with the benefits of AI come ethical considerations that must be addressed and mitigated. To assist leaders in navigating these challenges, 20 Forbes Business Council members offer essential steps to ensure ethical AI use. These steps include prioritizing transparency, educating the workforce on the pros and cons of AI, forming diverse teams to own AI processes, establishing good governance practices, embedding explainability into AI systems, and being upfront in approaching AI ethically.
Transparency is crucial in AI practices, with leaders advised to explain how algorithms work, what data is used, and any potential biases. Educating the workforce on the implications of AI use, such as deep fake videos and decision enhancement, is essential in creating boundaries and facilitating open conversations. Diverse teams should be responsible for the development and implementation of AI systems to identify biases and ethical concerns, ensuring fairness and mitigating bias throughout the process. Establishing interdisciplinary governance teams and focusing on guiding principles rather than exhaustive rules is key to ethical AI use.
Incorporating explainability into AI systems and enforcing data governance practices are vital in ensuring ethical AI usage. An emphasis on ethical practices, such as transparent communication, regular audits, and involvement of human experts in validating outputs, is necessary for a comprehensive ethical AI development strategy. Good governance practices are essential in developing AI-use frameworks and addressing ethical considerations like human rights, privacy, fairness, and non-discrimination, while also managing compliance, risk, transparency, and oversight challenges.
AI must be designed with established norms and values in mind, aligning with the user group’s ethical values to minimize biases and promote inclusivity. It is crucial for business leaders to leverage unbiased data sets in building AI programs and develop policies to guide staff in ethical AI use. Training on ethical AI applications and providing guidelines similar to standard ethical business practices are key to ensuring transparency and fairness in AI applications. Conducting regular audits, establishing strict policies on AI use, avoiding sensitive data inputs, and viewing AI as a tool in the toolbox are additional steps to ensure ethical AI practices.
