Ethics and AI: Designing an Interactive Self-Assessment Tool for Ethical Implementation of AI-enabled Projects
TL;DR
The design and evaluation of an interactive self-assessment tool that enables interdisciplinary teams to assess ethical risks and opportunities throughout the lifecycle of AI-enabled projects and implications for the design of self-assessment tools are presented.
Abstract
As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly integrated into products and services, the need for practical, context-sensitive tools to support ethical design processes has grown. While numerous artificial intelligence (AI) ethics guidelines exist, they often remain abstract and difficult to apply in practice. In this paper, we present the design and evaluation of an interactive self-assessment tool that enables interdisciplinary teams to assess ethical risks and opportunities throughout the lifecycle of AI-enabled projects. Grounded in empirical research, including expert interviews, a stakeholder workshop, and evaluations with practitioners, the tool offers actionable recommendations tailored to project-specific factors and stakeholder perspectives. We contribute insights into the integration of our tool into collaborative projects and implications for the design of self-assessment tools, such as balancing guidance with flexibility, enabling ongoing reflection, and avoiding ethics-washing. Finally, we formulate key-learnings from the process that can inform future research in HCI working on the intersection of AI and ethics.