IEEE Global Initiative for Ethical Considerations in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Autonomous Systems (AS) Drives, together with IEEE Societies, New Standards Projects; Releases New Report on Prioritizing Human Well-Being

PISCATAWAY, NEW JERSEY, USA, 19 July 2017 – IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for humanity, and the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE SA), today announced the approval of three new standards projects inspired by work being done in The IEEE Global Initiative for Ethical Considerations in Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Systems (“The IEEE Global Initiative”). The new standards projects are the latest additions to the IEEE P7000™ standards family and directly reflect the IEEE publication Ethically Aligned Design: A Vision for Prioritizing Human Wellbeing with Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Systems,a document that encourages technologists to prioritize ethical considerations in the creation of autonomous and intelligent technologies. The new standards projects are chaired and co-chaired by leading subject matter experts in their respective fields of study and include:

IEEE P7004™—Standard for Child and Student Data Governance

In today’s digital world, parents need to know who has access to their children’s data, what is collected and why, how it will be used and when the data will be deleted. IEEE P7004 is developing governance and certification processes for organizations handling child and student data to ensure transparency and accountability as it relates to the safety and wellbeing of children, their parents, the educational institutions where they are enrolled, and the community and societies where they spend their time, both on and offline. IEEE P7004 defines specific methodologies to help users certify how they approach accessing, collecting, storing, utilizing, sharing, and destroying child and student data.

• Marsali Hancock, Commissioner at GIIC, Chief Digital Officer, DQ Institute ( Chair, IEEE Working Group for Child and Student Data Governance)

IEEE P7005™—Standard for Transparent Employer Data Governance

Today organizations may lack adequate knowledge or tools to govern how employees’ personal data is stored, tracked, and utilized. Digital technology development and employer data collection practices are driving a need for the transparent, ethical and responsible handling and utilization of all forms of personally identifiable information. IEEE P7005 will provide organizations with guidelines and certifications to ensure that the storage, protection, and use of employee data in conducted ethically and transparently, while also helping to better inform and empower employees on how they share information in the workplace.

• Ulf Bengtsson , The Swedish Association of Graduate Engineers (Chair, IEEE Employer Data Governance Working Group)

• Christina Colclough, Senior Advisor, Communications – digitalization, trade & climate change, UNI Global Union ( Vice-Chair, IEEE Employer Data Governance Working Group)

IEEE P7006™ – Standard for Personal Data Artificial Intelligence (AI) Agent

The growth of Artificial Intelligence creates a risk that machine-to-machine decisions could be made without input and transparency to humans. To avoid this, and to ensure AI is developed ethically, individuals need to be able to influence and determine the values, rules, and inputs that guide the development of personalized algorithms directly related to their identity. An approach that enables a personalized human-in-the-loop AI agent to act as a proxy for machine-to-machine decisions, negotiating individual rights and agency in a system of shared social norms, ethics and human rights, will enable individuals to safely organize and share their personal information at a machine-readable level. IEEE P7006 describes the technical elements required to create and grant access to a personalized Artificial Intelligence (AI) agent that comprises inputs, learning, ethics, rules and values controlled by individuals.

• Katryna Dow , CEO & Founder, Meeco (Chair, IEEE Personal Data AI Agent Working Group)

“IEEE is uniquely positioned to elevate individual, community, and societal values as a key priority that distinguishes our work towards ensuring the development of human-­aligned autonomous and intelligent systems,” said Konstantinos Karachalios, managing director for IEEE SA. “These latest projects reflect IEEE’s commitment to incorporate aspects of human wellbeing and data protections that may not automatically be considered into the current and future design and manufacture of these technologies as they continue to progress.”

Regarding wellbeing, in April 2017, IEEE hosted a dinner debate at the European Parliament in Brussels featuring experts from The IEEE Global Initiative for Ethical Considerations in Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Systems. Please see the resulting report “Prioritizing Human Well-being in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” and the video from the event.

The first version of “Ethically Aligned Design” published in December 2016 generated over two hundred and twenty pages of feedback from multiple countries including the US, EU, Mexico, The Russian Federation, India, China, Japan and Korea highlighting the importance of ethics in technological development related to AI/AS. Feedback will be considered by Committees currently developing Version 2 of Ethically Aligned Design that will complement the collective input of the more than 250 global thought leaders in the fields of AI, robotics, law and ethics, philosophy, and policy from the realms of academia, science, government, and corporate sectors that are Members of The IEEE Global Initiative. A living document, “Ethically Aligned Design” provides insights and recommendations that provide a key reference for the work of global policy makers, academics, and AI/AS technologists.

“The new standards, inspired by The IEEE Global Initiative for Ethical Considerations in AI and Autonomous Systems, reinforces the IEEE Computer Society’s commitment to prioritize data transparency, accountability and ethics within autonomous and intelligent technologies,” said Angela Burgess, executive director, IEEE Computer Society. “IEEE Computer Society remains dedicated to the promotion of safety and ethical considerations as digital technology integration with artificial intelligence continues to rapidly expand.”

View feedback received about Ethically Aligned Design.

Read, “Becoming a Leader in Global Ethics,” a report by Sara Jordan of The IEEE Global Initiative about feedback received.

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