A new report from UCL School of Management MBA students and consultancy firm Capgemini argues that implementing artificial intelligence ethically is not only necessary, but urgent. Carried out at the UCL School of Management’s Analytics Lab, the report explains why it is so important for people to understand the risks and consequences of AI usage that are not only unethical, but may also inhibit sustainability.

As the implementation of artificial intelligence becomes more ubiquitous to everyday life, organisations are frequently exposed to new questions and issues regarding the ethical use of technology. The report highlights the five key components of AI ethics transformation. According to the authors, organisations need an ethical approach to artificial intelligence governance, as well as access to analytics that that demonstrate the impact of ethical issues and how to resolve them.

The authors also acknowledge the need to measure the degree to which AI ethics principles are delivered in the implementation of AI. Referencing responsible and conscientous leadership, architecture, skills, culture and governance as important external factors that are needed in an organisation before the implementation of AI, the authors note the significance of measurement throughout the journey of AI usage - not only pre-implementation, but also throughout its usage process.

Finally, the report argues that responsible and ethical AI requires an incremental transformation approach to improvement. According to the Harvard Business Review, “Too many business leaders still believe that AI is just another ‘plug and play’ incremental technological investment. In reality, gaining a competitive advantage through AI requires organizational transformation of the kind exemplified by companies leading in this era… These companies don’t just have better technology — they have transformed the way they do business so that human resources can be augmented with machine powers.”

Read the full report to gain a thorough understanding of ethical AI implementation or learn more about the UCL School of Management Analytics Lab.