Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • Publication
    Ethics by Agreement in Multi-Agent Software Systems
    (SCITEPRESS, 2019-07-28) ;
    Most attempts at inserting ethical behaviour into autonomous machines adopt the ‘designer’ approach, i.e., the ethical principles/behaviour to be implemented are known in advance. Typical approaches include rule-based evaluation of moral choices, reinforcement-learning, and logic based approaches. All of these approaches assume a single moral agent interacting with a moral recipient. This paper argues that there will be more frequent cases where the moral responsibility for a situation will lie among multiple actors, and hence a designed approach will not suffice. We posit that an emergence-based approach offers a better alternative to designed approaches. Further we outline one possible mechanism by which such an emergent morality might be added into autonomous agents.
    Scopus© Citations 2  540
  • Publication
    Automation: An Essential Component Of Ethical AI?
    Ethics is sometimes considered to be too abstract to be meaningfully implemented in artificial intelligence (AI). In this paper, we reflect on other aspects of computing that were previously considered to be very abstract. Yet, these are now accepted as being done very well by computers. These tasks have ranged from multiple aspects of software engineering to mathematics to conversation in natural language with humans. This was done by automating the simplest possible step and then building on it to perform more complex tasks. We wonder if ethical AI might be similarly achieved and advocate the process of automation as key step in making AI take ethical decisions. The key contribution of this paper is to reflect on how automation was introduced into domains previously considered too abstract for computers.
      83
  • Publication
    Towards An Ethics-Audit Bot
    In this paper we focus on artificial intelligence (AI) for governance, not governance for AI, and on just one aspect of governance, namely ethics audit. Different kinds of ethical audit bots are possible, but who makes the choices and what are the implications? In this paper, we do not provide ethical/philosophical solutions, but rather focus on the technical aspects of what an AI-based solution for validating the ethical soundness of a target system would be like. We propose a system that is able to conduct an ethical audit of a target system, given certain socio-technical conditions. To be more specific, we propose the creation of a bot that is able to support organisations in ensuring that their software development lifecycles contain processes that meet certain ethical standards.
      81
  • Publication
    Assessing the Appetite for Trustworthiness and the Regulation of Artificial Intelligence in Europe
    (CEUR Workshop Proceedings, 2020-12-08) ; ;
    While Artificial Intelligence (AI) is near ubiquitous, there is no effective control framework within which it is being advanced. Without a control framework, trustworthiness of AI is impacted. This negatively affects adoption of AI and reduces its potential for social benefit. For international trade and technology cooperation, effective regulatory frameworks need to be created. This study presents a thematic analysis of national AI strategies for European countries in order to assess the appetite for an AI regulatory framework. A Declaration of Cooperation on AI was signed by EU members and non-members in 2018. Many of the signatories have adopted national strategies on AI. In general there is a high level of homogeneity in the national strategies. An expectation of regulation, in some form, is expressed in the strategies, though a reference to AI specific legislation is not universal. With the exception of some outliers, international cooperation is supported. The shape of effective AI regulation has not been agreed upon by stakeholders but governments are expecting and seeking regulatory frameworks. This indicates an appetite for regulation. The international focus has been on regulating AI solutions and not on the regulation of individuals. The introduction of a professional regulation system may be a complementary or alternative regulatory strategy. Whether the appetite and priorities seen in Europe are mirrored worldwide will require a broader study of the national AI strategy landscape.
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