“I’m sorry, show me where it says I must open the pod bay door”

There are no agreed accreditation or standards for AI in Australia, Dave Dawson, Emma Schleiger (CSIRO) and colleagues warn in a new paper for the agency and the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science on an ethics framework for AI.

“Designers of algorithms which may have significant impacts on public well-being are operating within a profession with relatively limited guidance or oversight,” they warn.

They also urge researchers and industry to talk more;

“Quality research into addressing ethical AI by design and implementation is key to ensuring that Australia stays ahead of the curve. Without methods of accessible transfer of knowledge from theory to practice the impact is lost. Collaboration is increasingly important between researchers and the tech industry to ensure that AI is developed and used ethically and should be prioritised.”

Who does what with the data that AI uses is emerging all-over. As a paper on data analytics in teaching and learning puts it (CMM April 9); ““advanced educational technologies that employ complex learning analytics and AI should not regarded as ‘black box’ tools to be trusted but should be transparent and able to be challenged.”