Consultancy

With there being so much ado about ethics, AI and associated technologies, consultancy is not something I have rushed to do. Ethics-washing concerns are real, having more to do with public relations than accountability and moral thought. A more personal reason for being queasy about the idea is that names and academic reputations are sought (and bought) to legitimise questionable practices. I doubt I am the only academic that receives this type of invitation.

 

So why now, and what do I have to offer?

 

My conclusion and motive is that I can make a positive difference. From the prosocial side of things, I believe that I can offer organisations specialised and systematic advice so we (me, you, all of us) have better technologies in the human environment. To this end I am an IEEE CertifAIEd Authorized Lead Assessor for Autonomous Intelligent Systems. On why now, I have spent many years empirically and speculatively exploring ethical questions around 'intimate' emerging technologies. I have now assembled the right questions and sub-issues into a package that can be tailored for those innovating with systems that are somehow intimate in nature.

 

From an organisational point of view, i.e. your organisation, I can help you ask the right questions about the technologies you have built, or are developing, how your organisation should be accountable to itself and others, how ethics and law differ, where public opinion is on your type of system, how to evidence that good ethical practice is taking place, and where responsibility should lay. If IEEE accreditation is sought, I can assess, advise, and work with you to obtain successful accreditation.

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What I do not offer is blessing by means of a standardised checklist. There are many easily found AI ethics checklist from corporations, governments and think-tanks so, if you're getting started, or just want to know vague parameters, maybe check those out.

 

Instead my offer is a close assessment of your technologies and the organisation. This is highly bespoke, offering systematic assessment of human values positively and negatively impacted by the proposed or existing innovation, internal processes that should be in place to ensure ethical functioning of the innovation, and what evidence for this should be available to demonstrate ethical functioning of the project. 

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Interested? Get in touch and we'll set up a scoping call.