Understanding artificial intelligence ethics and safety: A guide for the responsible design and implementation of AI systems in the public sector
ResourcesUnderstanding artificial intelligence ethics and safety: A guide for the responsible design and implementation of AI systems in the public sector
What is this about?
A remarkable time of human promise has been ushered in by the convergence of the ever-expanding availability of big data, the soaring speed and stretch of cloud computing platforms, and the advancement of increasingly sophisticated machine learning algorithms.
Innovations in AI are already leaving a mark on government, by improving the provision of essential social goods and services from healthcare, education, and transportation to food supply, energy, and environmental management. These bounties are likely just the start.
The prospect that progress in AI will help government to confront some of its most urgent challenges is exciting, but legitimate worries abound. As with any new and rapidly evolving technology, a steep learning curve means that mistakes and miscalculations will be made and that both unanticipated and harmful impacts will occur.
In order to manage these impacts responsibly and to direct the development of AI systems toward optimal public benefit, The Alan Turing Institute's Public Policy Programme partnered with the Office for Artificial Intelligence and the Government Digital Service to produce guidance on the responsible design and implementation of AI systems in the public sector.Why is this important?
For whom is this important?
What are the best practices?
This document provides end-to-end guidance on how to apply principles of AI ethics and safety to the design and implementation of algorithmic systems in the public sector. The guidance has set the foundation for The AI Ethics and Governance in Practice Programme curriculum which is composed of a series of eight workbooks, the first four published in 2023 and the second four to be published in 2024.
Each of the workbooks in the series covers how to implement a key component of the PBG Framework. These include sustainability, fairness, technical safety, accountability, explainability, and data stewardship. Each of the workbooks also focuses on a specific domain, so that case studies can be used to promote ethical reflection and animate the key concepts.
