The European Union (EU) has published a set of ethical guidelines for artificial intelligence (AI) applications.
The EU convened a group of 52 experts who wrote seven requirements for AI:
- Human agency and oversight — AI should not trample on human autonomy
- Technical robustness and safety — AI should be secure and accurate
- Privacy and data governance — Personal data collected by AI systems should be secure and private
- Transparency — Data and algorithms used to create an AI system should be accessible
- Diversity, non-discrimination and fairness — Services provided by AI should be available to all, regardless of age, gender, race and so on
- Environmental and societal well-being — AI systems should be ecologically responsible
- Accountability — AI systems should be auditable and covered by existing protections for corporate whistleblowers
While not legally binding, the guidelines could shape future EU legislation.
The EU also published a ‘Trustworthy AI assessment list’, designed to help experts find any potential weak spots or dangers in AI software. A final report is expected in 2020.
