The role of responsible AI principles in driving competitive advantage

There is unambiguous ownership over AI systems, their impacts and resulting outputs across the AI lifecycle.

EY commitment:

We design and build systems that purposefully integrate clear accountability and help in delivering business goals. We provide appropriate opportunities for feedback, relevant explanations, and clear channels for challenge and appeal. Our AI technologies are aligned with EY values as outlined in our Code of Conduct and subject to appropriate and proportionate levels of human oversight and control.

Use of data in AI systems is consistent with permitted rights, maintains confidentiality of business and personal information, and reflects ethical norms.

EY commitment:

Our AI systems are steadfast in protecting the data that fuels them and the content they generate. Data protection is an integral part of our Responsible AI framework and extends beyond mere compliance to embedding data protection into the fabric of our AI systems design, development, deployment and use.

AI systems are aligned with stakeholder expectations and continually perform at a desired level of precision and consistency.

EY commitment:

We are committed to helping enable reliable AI systems. We strive to build AI systems that are not only innovative but also dependable by integrating the right level of monitoring, reporting and intervention to help ensure that our AI systems perform consistently, safely, and reliably in supporting business objectives.

AI systems, their input and output data are secured from unauthorized access and resilient against corruption and adversarial attack.

EY commitment:

We  prioritize the security and safety of AI systems, adhering to best practice guidance to protect against threats to and from AI systems across the development lifecycle. We continuously review and enhance our AI security risk management approaches to safeguard AI systems and resulting outputs to keep pace with technical advancements and the emerging threat landscape.

Appropriate levels of disclosure regarding the purpose, design and impact of AI systems is provided so that stakeholders, including end users, can understand, evaluate and correctly employ AI systems and their outputs.

EY commitment:

Transparency is fundamental in our development and deployment of AI technologies. We understand the importance of maintaining appropriate levels of clarity over the data used to train our AI systems, as well as their objectives, limitations and conditions of use. We make relevant technical documentation and user instructions readily accessible as required by different stakeholders. In championing transparency, we aim to support human agency, fostering an environment where engagement with AI systems is informed, conscious and in line with our ethical and professional standards.

Appropriate levels of explanation are enabled so that the decision criteria and output of AI systems can be reasonably understood, challenged and validated by human operators.

EY commitment:

We help bridge the gap between AI technology and users by helping enable an appropriate level of explainability. We support our AI solutions with clear, detailed explanations of how decisions are made in line with the requirements of each system to help users to identify, challenge and correct errors and foster a culture of accountability and transparency.

The needs of all impacted stakeholders are assessed with respect to the design and use of AI systems and their outputs to promote a positive and inclusive societal impact.

EY commitment:

Fairness is at the core of our values and purpose. We take proactive measures to identify and mitigate bias throughout the lifecycle to help prevent the perpetuation of unfair and discriminatory AI systems and resulting output. Further to the EY organization’s broader commitments to DE&I, we endeavor to engage a diverse set of stakeholders throughout the AI development lifecycle to help enable a broad evaluation of potential risks and regularly evaluate our approach to fairness to help ensure that it remains aligned with leading practice.

The design, implementation and use of AI systems and their outputs comply with relevant laws, regulations and professional standards.

EY commitment:

We are committed to designing, developing, deploying and using AI responsibly and as such proactively preparing for forthcoming regulation and complying with existing regulation. As technology and regulations evolve, we track emerging issues across social, regulatory and ethical domains and feed them into processes that govern our AI systems. 

Considerations of the impacts of technology are embedded throughout the AI lifecycle to promote physical, social, economic and planetary well-being.

EY commitment:

We embed sustainability considerations into the approach to developing and procuring AI systems and in how we work with clients on AI engagements. We collaborate with governments, standards bodies, NGOs, academia and industry to shape policy and develop shared standards specific to enabling sustainable AI and leveraging AI for sustainability.