AI Ethics Boards: AI Ethics Boards are rapidly emerging in India’s top tech universities

Technology specialists are creating internal panels to oversee the development of responsible skills. artificial intelligence systemsas the emergence of generative AI models raises new concerns about Data privacysovereignty, bias, hallucinations, etc.

IBM, Wipro and Automatic Data Processing (ADP) are among the companies that have established such bodies.

The IBM AI Ethics Council is co-chaired by Francesca Rossi, IBMer and global leader in AI ethics, along with Christina Montgomery, the company’s chief privacy and trust officer. It is a central, interdisciplinary body that supports governance, review and decision-making processes at IBM, the company said.

Wipro has a Responsible AI working group led by Global Head of Privacy and AI Governance Ivana Bartoletti, which reviews all AI projects based on their risk level.

ADP, which holds sensitive client data such as payroll, said its AI and data Ethics Council meets periodically to advise on emerging issues industry trends and worries.

As AI takes center stage, more companies will create boards that play a critical role in functions such as product, finance, sales and HR.

According to a survey conducted by research firm Gartner in May, nearly 68% of business leaders are still researching or determining governance for GenAI uses within their organizations. In India, this percentage was 58%.

Data protection and privacy (52%), lack of mature GenAI vendors (52%) and data accuracy, reliability and transparency (48%) are among the most frequently cited GenAI implementation challenges by Indian respondents, the study showed.

Enterprise buyers in India are looking to buy from credible vendors whose GenAI-enabled solutions comply with India-specific legal and industry regulations, said Anushree Verma, director analyst for emerging technologies and trends at Gartner.

“An AI ethics board is critical to the long-term success of AI projects, requiring leaders to address strategies and methods related to fairness, transparency, explainability, trustworthiness, privacy, and security,” Verma said.

Their duties may cover people (e.g., an AI director) and processes to support AI, managing the company’s social and ethical risks, AI explainability, AI data and privacy and protection, ModelOps (lifecycle management, analytics), resilience to adversarial attacks, etc., he explained.

For Wipro, its AI governance strategy spans functional teams such as legal (contractual clauses, intellectual property risk assessment), cybersecurity and quality assurance, Bartoletti said.

IBM, one of the first global companies to establish an AI ethics committee, recently published a paper on the risks associated with training GenAI models.

“In addition, the CPO’s AI Ethics Project Office supports all of these initiatives, acting as a liaison across governance roles, supporting the implementation of technology ethics priorities, helping to set the AI ​​Ethics Board’s agendas, and ensuring the board stays up to date on industry trends and company strategy,” a company spokesperson said.

According to ADP, with rapid advances in AI, ethics and transparency will be key differentiators for the company to maintain customer trust.

“ADP’s Data and AI Ethnic Council, comprised of industry leaders and ADP experts from across our company, plays a critical role in guiding the company,” said Srinivas Konidena, chief technology officer and vice president of products, APAC, ADP.

“The council meets regularly to advise on emerging industry trends and concerns. It also provides guidance on the principles we should adhere to when developing AI and data-related products, systems and applications,” he added.