2.3 | The good, the bad and the trade-off

1. Introduction

Over the past two lessons, it’s fair to say we’ve taken you on a bumpy ride of AI ups and downs. You’ve learned about the risks and rewards, bad outcomes and good opportunities. We’ve left you holding fears about AI in one hand and hopes about AI in the other, but we haven’t given you any clue about what to do with them.

In this lesson, you will learn about navigating AI challenges so that citizens and those working in the public sector can reap the rewards.

Ok, are you ready? Let’s go.

2. Good intentions

Let us start with a universal statement: everybody wants to build and use AI systems in a responsible, ethical, and unbiased manner.1 – Firdaus Imambaccus and Hugo Morin, Department of Employment and Social Development Canada

As Firdaus Imambaccus and Hugo Morin, public servants working in the world of AI ethics for the Government of Canada, highlight: nobody wants to build AI systems that harm. Yet — as you learned in Lesson 2.1 — citizens and governments suffer serious consequences when things go wrong. Good intentions don’t negate bad outcomes, so it makes sense that there are a growing number of ethical frameworks in the public sector.

However, where these frameworks succeed in principle, they can fall short in practice. If you like apples (or pies), how Imambaccus and Morin describe the disconnect between ethical principles and practices might resonate with you: “Ethical frameworks are much like apple pies: no one really dislikes the idea of pie, but very few are good at baking it from flour and water to crispy perfection.”2

Now, you might be wondering where that leaves you. What’s your part in making the ethical AI pie? Well, as we near the halfway point in this course, we think you’re going to like the answer.

Imambaccus and Morin suggest that using AI ethically in government begins with raising awareness. “People must first know how to distinguish AI from ‘The Terminator’ or some obscure extraterrestrial-looking computer screen. What are the capabilities of artificial intelligence? What are its risks? How is it leveraged in the given context?”3

Congratulations, you’ve already taken the first step.

3. Good public administration

The laws and principles of good public administration are well-established.4 – Paul Waller, Visiting Fellow at the University of Bradford & Research Principal, Thorney Isle Research

Although you’ve learned that AI is not ‘new’ and has been used in the public sector for some time, it’s easy to believe that no guidelines or regulations to mitigate risk and limit harm exist. Paul Waller, an academic researching the role of technology in government, reminds us that: “Any decision or action by a public sector body carrying out a function supported by [AI] has to meet the same requirements as a decision made — or action taken — by any other means.”5

“Public officials and politicians are accountable and subject to scrutiny,” Waller continues. “They will be expected to show evidence of appropriate risk and impact mitigation measures, and have systems for redress.” This applies as much to AI as anything else done in the course of serving the public.6

The use of AI in government must satisfy human rights, equality and data protection laws, and comply with legislation around public records. “Any enthusiasm to adopt a computerised method [must first overcome] a basic step of public administrative due diligence,” says Waller. First and foremost: “Is it legal for us to do this?”7

We know our learners are good public administrators, so we’ll be giving you a questions-based checklist to help influence responsible conversations about AI at the end of this course.

4. Trade-off judgments

Effective use of AI will require public services to reframe their attitudes towards risk… the reluctance to engage with new AI technologies may severely limit future opportunities that enable us to tackle major societal problems.8 – Dr Shainaz Firfiray, Senior Lecturer, University of Aberdeen

You’ve learned that all AI initiatives come with a set of risks, but Dr Shainaz Firfiray, who works in the field of business management, reassures us that “these risks can be managed effectively over time”. However, Firfiray acknowledges that “there are several trade-off judgements that need to be made.”9

“Traditionally, a cost-benefit analysis [has] been applied to make trade-off judgements as it allows people to reach decisions on the basis of whether the benefits of adopting a specific technology outweigh the costs.” As Firfiray tells us, “These procedures are widely used in industry and governance because they are seen as objective and provide clear guidelines for reaching a decision.” But, Firfiray warns us about the limitations of cost-benefit analyses when making decisions that impact the public service. Whereas weighing up benefits and costs can produce helpful information — much like an AI system — it can’t “recognise that values are difficult to quantify and that numbers on their own may mask some controversial value judgements.”10

There is good news: it is possible to reconcile conflicting perspectives and reach a compromise. Firfray outlines 4 collaborative strategies to help public servants reach decisions aligned with the rights and privileges of those affected by AI technologies:11

1. Engage the public to address risks and rewards in a way that can be justified to all members of society.

2. Reinforce cybersecurity to protect citizens from being targeted by hackers and scammers.

3. Test AI technologies to build confidence with emerging innovations and learn how to use them effectively.

4. Gain public trust by sharing information about how AI systems in government work.

5. Conclusion

In this lesson, you learned the importance of assessing risks and making informed decisions when using AI in the public sector. You also learned that responsible AI innovations take the perspectives of citizens and stakeholders into account.

You’re near the end of this section. Head to the next lesson, where you will reflect on the best possible uses of AI in the public service.

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