From Ethical Artificial Intelligence Principles to Practice: A Case Study of University-Industry Collaboration

Abstract

The ethical artificial intelligence principal to practice gap is a significant challenge for micro and small medium businesses (SME). The policy and legal landscape is very dynamic and whilst there are limited toolkits, designed to help such businesses to embed the ethical design of responsible technology, there is generally a lack of skills, knowledge and resources on how to apply them within individual businesses. In this paper we present a small case study of practical examples that has led to the introduction of ethical AI practices into SMEs. Through a European funded university-industry collaboration, to date 102 SMEs within Greater Manchester, UK have been exposed to data and ethical AI workshops, with a subset of these choosing to deeper dive and apply tools such as consequence scanning and harms modelling within their business with support from university technical analysts and academics. The case study presents initial evaluations on embedding ethical principles, challenges faced by the SMEs and the reflections of technical analysts.

The GM AI Foundry: A Model for Upskilling SME's in Responsible AI

“…'AI' as an enabler for new products/services is still hard to find within SMEs [16..19]. However, since the explosion of publicly available generative AI tools and APIs, there has been a scramble for businesses to embrace AI and utilise it in an entrepreneurial way [21]. However, the challenge for SMEs is first how to navigate what is responsible and trustworthy AI in the context of their business, then trying to understand which principles and standards apply and how to apply them, whilst at the same time being aware that forthcoming AI legislation will also be a significant disruptor.…”