Global Ethics Day 2024: INFORM Advocates for a Balanced Assessment of AI Opportunities and Risks

European AI Act and Its Ethical Dimensions

In the European Union, the AI regulation establishes an important framework for handling AI. The regulation classifies various practices, some of which are prohibited based on ethical standards, such as social scoring (evaluating individuals’ social behavior) and real-time surveillance of public spaces (except for law enforcement purposes).

 The EU AI Act also sets standards for a wide range of other AI systems that now need to meet regulatory and ethical standards, particularly in the high-risk category. “The requirements are especially stringent in sensitive areas such as human resources and education,” Herbers explains. “This includes system monitoring as well as data quality.” AI systems in these areas must comply with strict standards: from enhanced quality assurance to human oversight.

Ethical Challenges and the Importance of Human Control

Herbers points out that the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) already establishes ethical standards: “Where algorithms make decisions with significant legal impacts on individuals, these machine-driven decisions must be explainable. The issue of human control is also reflected in the AI Act.” AI systems are not classified as high-risk if a decision is primarily made by humans and AI merely assists.

Ethical evaluations of AI applications are often complex and context-dependent. For example, in industrial settings, sensor data is collected from machines for quality control. However, if the same data were used to monitor employees, it would raise different considerations concerning data protection and employee participation. “These examples show that ethical concerns don’t inherently stem from the data or technology itself but from its application,” Herbers concludes. “Therefore, a nuanced approach to ethical regulation is both appropriate and important.”

Call for Balanced Assessment on Global Ethics Day

On the occasion of Global Ethics Day, INFORM emphasizes that AI has not only technological but also ethical and societal implications. As a company that specializes in AI-powered optimization of business processes and intelligent decision-making, INFORM is committed to making ethical considerations a central part of the development and use of AI. “The EU AI Act provides us with an essential foundation, but it remains crucial to always conduct independent, ethically grounded assessments,” Herbers emphasizes. “We must recognize AI’s potential while acting responsibly. Global Ethics Day is an appropriate moment to reflect on this responsibility.”