Auditing Ethical Appropriateness

This activity teaches you how to evaluate whether an AI model helps or harms human abilities, decision-making, and overall well-being. You’ll learn to look at important factors like explainability, data privacy, and social and environmental impacts. By using a systematic auditing method, you’ll gain practical skills that go beyond just theory.

Learning Objectives

• Assess Human Impact:
  • Determine if an AI model strengthens or weakens human capabilities and decision-making.
• Examine Key Factors:
  • Look at how well the model explains its decisions (explainable AI or XAI), how it handles data privacy, and its social and environmental effects.
• Develop Systematic Auditing Skills:
  • Learn to use checklists and structured methods to audit AI systems, so you can apply these skills in real-life situations.

Example Activities

• Ethical Audit Checklist:

  • Task: Create and practice using a checklist to evaluate an AI system.
  • Checklist Items:
    • Bias (Does the model show favoritism or discrimination?)
    • Discrimination Possibility (Could the model harm certain groups?)
    • Data Handling (How is data collected and used?)
    • Model Explainability (Can you understand why the model makes its decisions?)
    • Environmental Costs (How much energy does the system use?)
  • Goal: Use the checklist to systematically review the AI tool and write down your findings.

• Capacity Strengthening vs. Weakening Discussion:

  • Task: In small groups, discuss the question, “Does this system increase user autonomy, or does it replace human decisions too much?”
  • Discussion Points:
    • How does the AI help people make better decisions?
    • Could it be taking away too much control from users?
  • Goal: Develop your critical thinking and debate skills while understanding the real-world impact of AI.

• Documenting Results:

  • Task: Write a report that summarizes your audit results.
  • Report Should Include:
    • What problems you discovered during your audit.
    • Specific suggestions for how the AI tool can be improved.
  • Goal: Practice organizing your thoughts and presenting clear, actionable feedback.

Key Takeaways

• Ethical Auditing is Essential:
  • Regular audits help ensure AI tools support human abilities and remain fair, transparent, and responsible.
• Use Structured Methods:
  • Checklists and reports are powerful tools for understanding the strengths and weaknesses of an AI system.
• Critical Thinking in Action:
  • Discussing and documenting your findings helps you learn to ask the right questions about technology.
• Practical Skills:
  • These activities prepare you to evaluate AI in the real world, making sure it works for everyone and aligns with ethical principles.

By learning how to audit AI systems using these techniques, you’ll be better equipped to build and use technology that respects human values and contributes positively to society. Enjoy the process of exploring, discussing, and improving AI tools!

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