Earlier this year, Danielle Cass and I ran a workshop with 23 ethical AI practitioners from 15 organizations and shared out insights of what they are doing that has been successful and the open questions or challenges they are working through. A few months later, Matt Marshall, Founder of VentureBeat, invited us to conduct a similar workshop at VentureBeat Transform with the goal of expanding the representation of practitioners and moving the conversation to the next level.
Honglai supply professional and honest service.
On July 10th, 36 practitioners from 29 organizations came together for a two-hour, high-speed workshop to solve four challenges we, as a discipline, are working on:
Three primary categories arose in the breakout groups: 1) Socialization/education, 2) Processes to kickoff every project, and 3) Tools or processes throughout the product development.
One of the first tasks for people in ethical/responsible roles involves educating everyone in the organization, socializing ethical considerations including how to work responsibly. Through presentations, and formal trainings (e.g inclusion in machine learning classes) etc., the key is making it relevant and specific to the organization.
Psychological safety was identified as a necessary precursor for organizations to have these difficult conversations in a productive way. Ethical discussions can result in visceral responses if individuals feel their values are being attacked. Demonstrating a constructive debate and providing a framework for prioritizing risks and responsibilities (see Taxonomy discussion further down) can help de-escalate tensions and enable productive dialog.
Publishing insights in easy-to-access locations for coworkers to leverage was also necessary. For sales reps, who want to tell customers how their organization creates responsible AI, it’s critical they have ready access to relevant slides and talking points. This mitigates the risk of exposing internally-facing documents with sensitive information. Similarly, publishing insights to customers and others working in this field raises everyone’s awareness and helps move the conversation forward.
Participants shared a number of ways they explore the problem space at the beginning of a project including Consequence-Scanning Workshops, Scenario Planning, or one of the many toolkits or frameworks available today.
It’s imperative to begin by being clear on the goals to be accomplished, then identify the spectrum of intended and unintended consequences. Use an agreed-upon taxonomy to prioritize all of the risks identified. It’s unlikely every possible risk can be mitigated so it’s important to have a mechanism to objectively prioritize those that must be addressed.
One of the companies represented described their process as follows:
2. Create a Risk Profile for Global Legal and Ethical Data Use
The global data map is a table that contains rows and columns for the different categories of data and identified activities for data use. Next, color-code the cells red, yellow or green to indicate the degree of constraints for each scenario. (See Figure 1 below).
Red = Data may not be used for that purpose
Yellow = Required risk/benefit analysis and documentation prior to approval
Green = Data may safely be used for that purpose
Teams wishing to use data for purposes highlighted in yellow must go through a risk/benefit analysis and review with the data ethics team. Some of the questions asked in the review will include:
3. If the team is approved to use the data, a follow up review is required. Some of the questions in the follow up include:
Review boards and discussion forums with experts were identified as valuable resources in the previous workshop. Participants in this workshop noted the significance of providing context-specific and tangible recommendations. Through checklists, which serve as useful references, questions to ask and reminder vehicles, everyone walks away with clear next steps and greater success.
The importance of documentation throughout is crucial and provides transparency, accountability, and consistency. These include term definitions, governance mechanisms (e.g., model cards, datasheets), feedback from reviews and decision outcomes. Using approachable and simple language avoids miscommunication and encourages compliance.
Key themes that emerged in this breakout group included:
As described in our shared insights from our February workshop, leveraging existing infrastructure (like product review processes) into which you can embed ethics was a best practice echoed by the VentureBeat workshop participants. Whether you are leveraging an existing process to highlight ethics or creating new processes in the software, the product development lifecycle or product evaluation, it’s critical to abstain from overburdening the business. Processes must be lightweight, adaptable and easy-to-use.
Relationships between engineering and product must be navigated delicately as ethics efforts scale across a company. Often, product managers and engineering managers may not be aligned, and because many things can change between the ideation phase and final production, introduction of new elements may impede this.
Several companies are starting to explore establishing incentive structures in order for ethics to be built into employees’ roles. Another approach is building ethics into OKRs by making it one of the pillars for performance reviews.
This breakout discussion also examined how to build penalties around unethical behavior, specifically related to data use. Participants agreed scaling ethics efforts beyond ethics roles will require technical solutions, including open-source tools.
Building a business case for “ethics-by-design” is a compelling path forward for scaling ethics. Similar to the standardization of privacy processes based on privacy law, the key to an “ethics-by-design” effort is to highlight the true risks with reviews boards and certification programs.
Education and training is pivotal but remains the biggest challenge for all tech companies in scaling “ethics-by-design.”
One tech ethics practitioner shared their program: In addition to a required in-person modular training, introduction of a monthly ethics video series addressing serious ethics issues ranging from data access to corruption is presented in a fun, engaging way. This has proven successful with strong participation across the company.
This breakout group brainstormed measures and metrics to evaluate the ethics impact on their work. Drawing from security scoring frameworks like Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) for identifying information or cybersecurity vulnerabilities and exposure risks, similarly, ethical risks could be calculated where the types of exposures are identified as being additive or even multiplicative. As a result, a system could have a positive score overall but the sub-components could highlight that specific populations are more vulnerable and at greatest right of exposure to harm. Having a taxonomy to rate risks will prioritize what must be addressed prior to launch.
In addition, the use of Red Teams, which are neutral groups tasked with identifying blind spots and data vulnerabilities to ethically hack the product should be considered. The product team can now identify the harm when it happens and find ways to mitigate the potential risk(s).
Differential Privacy was introduced to minimize exposure of PII (personally identifiable information). A reference from Pier Paolo Ippolito, who did not attend the workshop, defines it this way:
One participant noted the hiring recruiters’ ability to identify specific archetypes the company was predisposed to hiring vs. others, allowing them to quantify their actions and make changes.
Three challenges in measurement were identified:
As the field of ethics in tech expands, the community of practitioners recognize the urgency to support each other, especially in the face of recent attacks from their efforts. A few participants had personally been criticized, maligned, or mischaracterized on social media or during public events. Twice as many participants had witnessed these things happen to their peers. In one particular example, a colleague, expected to attend the workshop cancelled having recently been doxxed and her life threatened by a powerful group critical of her company.
Three primary categories of criticisms and associated questions we need to address:
Questions: How do we effectively attribute our points of view to those whose work we’re building upon? Where do we obtain legitimacy and permission to speak? How do we manage questions around jealousy, legitimacy, and accountability within the space where some are being given a a bigger megaphone or bigger speaking platforms?”
Questions: What kind of opportunities are we willing to forego because we cannot engage in meaningful discussion? What are the trade-offs of being in the public eye, vulnerable, and transparent versus going underground because of the threatening attacks?
For more information, please visit Additives for ETICS.
Questions: How does one communicate the complexity and nuance of our work in concise soundbites? How do we ensure that members of the media under pressure to meet deadlines capture the details that really matter when they don’t know which details matter? How do we ensure they give appropriate credit in the publications when a simple soundbite sans credit is catchier?
It is important to acknowledge that no one is implying those working in this field are above questioning or disagreement; however, when the criticism crosses a line to involve personal attacks or threats of harm, it is not acceptable. Meaningful discussion and debate can only happen when both sides are willing to engage in constructive dialog rather than ad hominem attacks. This website has several wonderful resources to help those dealing with or at risk of online harassment. A few additional ideas were identified to move discussions forward in productive ways:
The two hours we spent together flew by and the community of practitioners left excited for what is next. We all recognize the importance of sharing our work to learn from each other and to provide accountability among our peers. This workshop is over but our engagement is only beginning.
In this article we look at why a code of ethics matters to a business, and how different countries in the Middle East codify and regulate corporate ethics.
In order for a business to regulate its operations, drive performance and mitigate risk, it should have a clearly defined code of ethics.
What is a Code of Ethics?
A code of ethics is a set of rules, guidelines, and principles which guide the behavior and activities of an organization and its executives, management, and employees. The purpose of a defined code of ethics is to make sure that employees conduct business with integrity and honesty, beyond the basic legal and regulatory requirements relevant to their roles.
For example, an organization’s code of ethics may outline how employees are expected to deal with colleagues, partners, customers, and anyone else they may come into contact within the course of their duties.
Implementing a code of ethics may be voluntary or may be mandated by law. Oman’s Code of Corporate Governance for Public Listed Companies, for instance, requires that the board of directors “shall draft an internal code for ethics and professional conduct” and “monitor the management’s compliance with the aforementioned code for professional conduct.”
Why is a Code of Ethics so Important for a Business?
There are a number of reasons why a code of ethics is important for any business.
Firstly, it positions and identifies the company as a place of integrity in which employees are held to high standards of honesty, accountability, and respectful behavior. This makes the organization more appealing to work for from an employee perspective and more attractive to do business with from the point of view of partners, investors, and customers.
It also helps to preserve standards as companies grow and become more complex, providing a reference for employees as they are exposed to new and changing circumstances. The code of ethics equips any representative of the business with the guidance they need to take the right actions in response to any situation which may arise. This ensures consistency of behavior by removing the need for employees to make individual judgments on what is the correct or most appropriate choice.
Examples of situations where employees might seek guidance from a company code of ethics can include:
Not only does the existence of a defined code of ethics assist employees in deciding what to do in these scenarios, but it also reassures them that the action they are taking is correct, and in line with company policy. This reduces excessive interruption to their work, as they can quickly and confidently deal with issues, and also unnecessary stress, as they don’t have to worry they may have made the wrong choice. This sense of security contributes to better workforce morale.
A company’s code of ethics is also an important factor in building and maintaining its reputation within the community, industry, or sector within which it operates. Many customers prefer to only do business with ethical organizations. In fact, more than 60 percent of young consumers in one study said that they considered an organization’s ethical values before buying from them.
Adherence to high standards of ethics and behavior is, therefore, a commercial as well as moral consideration. It’s important to ensure that the content of the company’s code of ethics is in agreement with the prevailing opinions of its customer base, in order to build and preserve consumer confidence.
In addition, depending on the country of operations, there may be legal or regulatory requirements which dictate the form or application of a company’s code of ethics. For example, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain specifically require companies to have a code of ethics in place, and direct boards of directors to review and monitor its implementation.
How Does a Code of Ethics Tie in with Corporate Governance?
A business’s code of ethics is closely related to its corporate governance function - corporate governance is the framework that monitors the effectiveness of the code of ethics and ensures that it is implemented properly. It helps to set the tone and culture of the company, from the board level to management, to employees, embedding the central corporate values which are described in the code of ethics.
One of the main aims of effective governance is to balance the interests of all of the stakeholders of an organization. This can include executives, board members, employees, shareholders, financiers, suppliers, customers, etc. The principles laid out in a code of ethics such as fairness, responsibility, accountability, and transparency are a central part of setting this balance.
How Does a Code of Ethics in an Organization Encourage Better Performance?
Organizations that go beyond the ethical code and create cultures that promote ethical practices tend to experience the most benefits. These organizations actually tend to attract workers that are very loyal and committed that make a strong positive impact on their communities.
In , the following companies were listed as being among the most ethical in the world by Ethisphere, a company that rates companies for their ethics:
One thing that these companies have in common is a focus on transparency and accountability within their organizations. This helps to create and embed a workplace culture where ethical standards are at the center of the decision-making process, rather than an afterthought.
Why is it Important for Organizations to Follow Up on Codes of Ethics with Policies that Monitor the Code of Ethics?
Documenting a list of agreed ethical standards is only the first stage in creating a truly ethical culture. Without policies in place to monitor and evaluate adherence to the code, and how it is interpreted and applied in real-world decision making and activity, compliance cannot be guaranteed. Organizations must play an active role in ensuring that all employees accept and support the company’s ethical code and that they understand how to apply it to situations that might arise as part of their role. They should be encouraged to engage with the ethical functioning of the business, to ask questions, or raise concerns if any aspect of the code of ethics is unclear, and to suggest additions or updates based on their day-to-day experience if appropriate.
Equally, where violations of the code of ethics occur, these should be taken seriously at a management level, and sanctions applied if necessary.
Conclusion
A solid code of ethics can help an organization uphold its integrity and make sure that it does not stray into ambiguous and challenging situations. To avoid ethical violations that can be highly damaging to organizations, it is vital for every organization to do its best to encourage and promote the highest possible standards of ethics. Organizations should also go beyond the code of ethics itself and work hard to make sure that a strong culture of ethics is nurtured and sustained within the organization.
For More Information:
advisoryServices | capacityBuilding | webinars | knowledgeCenter | A-Look-At-Corporate-Governance-In-The-Context-Of-COVID-19 | Is-it-acceptable-for-a-CEO-to-also-be-Chairperson | 5-ESG-trends-that-should-be-on-your-radar | Corporate-culture-and-the-role-of-the-board | What-does-it-take-to-excel-in-the-boardroom | The-key-drivers-of-effective-corporate-governance | Which-type-of-board-structure-does-my-business-need | reducing-the-pressure-to-decide-in-the-boardroom | How-future-proof-is-your-board | How-do-you-tell-if-someone-is-qualified-to-sit-in-the-boardroom | What’s-your-position--what’s-your-heading—leading-vs-lagging-indicators | The-value-of-governance-for-SMEs | Getting-started-with-governance:-a-guide-for-SMEs | What’s-on-the-boardroom-agenda-in- | Role-of-CFO-in-the-boardroom | The-Shape-of-Corporate-Governance-in- | Updates-on-Corporate-Governance-in-the-Middle-East-–-April- | 3-ways-that-corporate-governance-is-crucial-to-sustaining-family-businesses | How-governance-legislation-in-Abu-Dhabi-has-affected-family-owned-businesses | Boards-of-Directors-in-the-GCC:-Navigating-the-Aging-Boards-Issue | Board-Composition-Trends-in-GCC | Politics-in-the-Boardroom:-Navigating-Power-Dynamics-and-Decision-Making | Why-Startups-Need-Independent-Directors:-The-Key-to-Good-Governance-2 | The-role-of-the-chairperson-2 | How-board-remuneration-impacts-company-success-2 | The-value-of-a-family-constitution-for-family-owned-businesses-2 | 6-questions-board-members-should-be-asking-themselves-2 | Case-Study:-Lessons-from-a-Failed-Digital-Transformation-Implementation | 8-ways-boards-can-drive-effective-corporate-governance | How-committees-and-boards-interact-4 | Importance-of-Training-for-Directors | Advancing-Digital-Transformation-and-Cybersecurity-Governance-in-the-Middle-East | Strengthening-Stakeholder-Engagement-and-Communication-Across-the-GCC:-The-Critical-Role-of-Boards-in-Navigating-Shareholder-Activism | about | investors | director-nomination | corporate-governance-reporting | corporate-governance-assessment | 1-to-1-coaching-for-board-members | advisory-board-setup | board-evaluation | family | director-nomination | corporate-secretarial-services | corporate-governance-assessment | 1-to-1-coaching-for-board-members | board-evaluation | corporate-governance-reporting | individuals | director-nomination | 1-to-1-coaching-for-board-members | entrepreneurs | corporate-secretarial-services | corporate-governance-reporting | corporate-governance-assessment | 1-to-1-coaching-for-board-members | board-evaluation | advisory-board-setup | director-nomination
Contact us to discuss your requirements of Additives for Leveling Compounds. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
Share article