· 5. Non Discrimination

Discrimination concerns the variability of AI results between individuals or groups of people based on the exploitation of differences in their characteristics that can be considered either intentionally or unintentionally (such as ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or age), which may negatively impact such individuals or groups. Direct or indirect discrimination through the use of AI can serve to exploit prejudice and marginalise certain groups. Those in control of algorithms may intentionally try to achieve unfair, discriminatory, or biased outcomes in order to exclude certain groups of persons. Intentional harm can, for instance, be achieved by explicit manipulation of the data to exclude certain groups. Harm may also result from exploitation of consumer biases or unfair competition, such as homogenisation of prices by means of collusion or non transparent market. Discrimination in an AI context can occur unintentionally due to, for example, problems with data such as bias, incompleteness and bad governance models. Machine learning algorithms identify patterns or regularities in data, and will therefore also follow the patterns resulting from biased and or incomplete data sets. An incomplete data set may not reflect the target group it is intended to represent. While it might be possible to remove clearly identifiable and unwanted bias when collecting data, data always carries some kind of bias. Therefore, the upstream identification of possible bias, which later can be rectified, is important to build in to the development of AI. Moreover, it is important to acknowledge that AI technology can be employed to identify this inherent bias, and hence to support awareness training on our own inherent bias. Accordingly, it can also assist us in making less biased decisions.
Principle: Draft Ethics Guidelines for Trustworthy AI, Dec 18, 2018

Published by The European Commission’s High-Level Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence

Related Principles

V. Diversity, non discrimination and fairness

Data sets used by AI systems (both for training and operation) may suffer from the inclusion of inadvertent historic bias, incompleteness and bad governance models. The continuation of such biases could lead to (in)direct discrimination. Harm can also result from the intentional exploitation of (consumer) biases or by engaging in unfair competition. Moreover, the way in which AI systems are developed (e.g. the way in which the programming code of an algorithm is written) may also suffer from bias. Such concerns should be tackled from the beginning of the system’ development. Establishing diverse design teams and setting up mechanisms ensuring participation, in particular of citizens, in AI development can also help to address these concerns. It is advisable to consult stakeholders who may directly or indirectly be affected by the system throughout its life cycle. AI systems should consider the whole range of human abilities, skills and requirements, and ensure accessibility through a universal design approach to strive to achieve equal access for persons with disabilities.

Published by European Commission in Key requirements for trustworthy AI, Apr 8, 2019

· 2. The Principle of Non maleficence: “Do no Harm”

AI systems should not harm human beings. By design, AI systems should protect the dignity, integrity, liberty, privacy, safety, and security of human beings in society and at work. AI systems should not threaten the democratic process, freedom of expression, freedoms of identify, or the possibility to refuse AI services. At the very least, AI systems should not be designed in a way that enhances existing harms or creates new harms for individuals. Harms can be physical, psychological, financial or social. AI specific harms may stem from the treatment of data on individuals (i.e. how it is collected, stored, used, etc.). To avoid harm, data collected and used for training of AI algorithms must be done in a way that avoids discrimination, manipulation, or negative profiling. Of equal importance, AI systems should be developed and implemented in a way that protects societies from ideological polarization and algorithmic determinism. Vulnerable demographics (e.g. children, minorities, disabled persons, elderly persons, or immigrants) should receive greater attention to the prevention of harm, given their unique status in society. Inclusion and diversity are key ingredients for the prevention of harm to ensure suitability of these systems across cultures, genders, ages, life choices, etc. Therefore not only should AI be designed with the impact on various vulnerable demographics in mind but the above mentioned demographics should have a place in the design process (rather through testing, validating, or other). Avoiding harm may also be viewed in terms of harm to the environment and animals, thus the development of environmentally friendly AI may be considered part of the principle of avoiding harm. The Earth’s resources can be valued in and of themselves or as a resource for humans to consume. In either case it is necessary to ensure that the research, development, and use of AI are done with an eye towards environmental awareness.

Published by The European Commission’s High-Level Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence in Draft Ethics Guidelines for Trustworthy AI, Dec 18, 2018

8. Principle of fairness

AI service providers, business users, and data providers should take into consideration that individuals will not be discriminated unfairly by the judgments of AI systems or AI services. [Main points to discuss] A) Attention to the representativeness of data used for learning or other methods of AI AI service providers, business users, and data providers may be expected to pay attention to the representativeness of data used for learning or other methods of AI and the social bias inherent in the data so that individuals should not be unfairly discriminated against due to their race, religion, gender, etc. as a result of the judgment of AI. In light of the characteristics of the technologies to be used and their usage, in what cases and to what extent is attention expected to be paid to the representativeness of data used for learning or other methods and the social bias inherent in the data? Note: The representativeness of data refers to the fact that data sampled and used do not distort the propensity of the population of data. B) Attention to unfair discrimination by algorithm AI service providers and business users may be expected to pay attention to the possibility that individuals may be unfairly discriminated against due to their race, religion, gender, etc. by the algorithm of AI. C) Human intervention Regarding the judgment made by AI, AI service providers and business users may be expected to make judgments as to whether to use the judgments of AI, how to use it, or other matters, with consideration of social contexts and reasonable expectations of people in the utilization of AI, so that individuals should not be unfairly discriminated against due to their race, religion, gender, etc. In light of the characteristics of the technologies to be used and their usage, in what cases and to what extent is human intervention expected?

Published by Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), the Government of Japan in Draft AI Utilization Principles, Jul 17, 2018

Principle 1 – Fairness

The fairness principle requires taking necessary actions to eliminate bias, discriminationor stigmatization of individuals, communities, or groups in the design, data, development, deployment and use of AI systems. Bias may occur due to data, representation or algorithms and could lead to discrimination against the historically disadvantaged groups. When designing, selecting, and developing AI systems, it is essential to ensure just, fair, non biased, non discriminatory and objective standards that are inclusive, diverse, and representative of all or targeted segments of society. The functionality of an AI system should not be limited to a specific group based on gender, race, religion, disability, age, or sexual orientation. In addition, the potential risks, overall benefits, and purpose of utilizing sensitive personal data should be well motivated and defined or articulated by the AI System Owner. To ensure consistent AI systems that are based on fairness and inclusiveness, AI systems should be trained on data that are cleansed from bias and is representative of affected minority groups. Al algorithms should be built and developed in a manner that makes their composition free from bias and correlation fallacy.

Published by SDAIA in AI Ethics Principles, Sept 14, 2022

· Plan and Design:

The fairness principle requires taking necessary actions to eliminate bias, discrimination or stigmatization of individuals, communities, or groups in the design, data, development, deployment and use of AI systems. Bias may occur due to data, representation or algorithms and could lead to discrimination against the historically disadvantaged groups. When designing, selecting, and developing AI systems, it is essential to ensure just, fair,non biased, non discriminatory and objective standards that are inclusive, diverse, andrepresentative of all or targeted segments of society. The functionality of an AI system shouldnot be limited to a specific group based on gender, race, religion, disability, age, or sexualorientation. In addition, the potential risks, overall benefits, and purpose of utilizing sensitivepersonal data should be well motivated and defined or articulated by the AI System Owner. To ensure consistent AI systems that are based on fairness and inclusiveness, AI systems shouldbe trained on data that are cleansed from bias and is representative of affected minority groups.Al algorithms should be built and developed in a manner that makes their composition free frombias and correlation fallacy.

Published by SDAIA in AI Ethics Principles, Sept 14, 2022