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While many companies are in the relatively early stages of their AI journey, most are making sure now to address the associated ethical issues.
In fact, among 100 C-level executives surveyed by Deloitte, a vast majority (88%) said their organizations are taking measures to communicate the ethical use of AI to their workforces.
Respondents indicated that establishing clear guidelines is the single most effective way to communicate with employees about AI ethics. Almost half (49%) currently have such policies in place, and 37% are nearly ready to roll them out.
Currently having such policies in place is even more prevalent at companies with annual revenue below $1 billion (51%) than at larger companies (47%).
Additionally, more than half of survey participants — which included C-suite executives, presidents, board members, and partner/owner roles — said they are providing employees with training on the ethical use of AI.
“As organizations increase their use of AI, the survey indicates that the C-suite is highly aware of the need to provide comprehensive ethics training in tandem to prepare their labor force,” said Beena Ammanath, leader of U.S. technology trust ethics for Deloitte LLP.
For many, ethical practices are about more than doing what’s right. For example, more than half (55%) of those polled said they believe having ethical guidelines for emerging technologies like generative AI is very important as related to revenue, while 47% said the same with respect to brand reputation/marketplace trust.
That’s likely why more than half (52%) of respondents said the board of directors is always involved in creating policies and guidelines regarding the ethical use of AI.
Companies are also hiring or planning to staff a variety of new positions to meet the ethical needs of emerging technologies, according to the research. The most common include AI ethics researchers, AI compliance specialists, and technology policy analysts. Somewhat fewer companies — but still more than a third of those surveyed — are looking to fill officer-level roles like chief ethics officer, chief trust officer, and data privacy officer.
Deloitte recommended that companies “consistently review and adapt principles to ensure trustworthy and ethical behavior throughout rapidly evolving technology advancements.”
Also, the consultancy advised, that middle managers should be empowered and encouraged to escalate ethical issues reported by direct reports.
Further, companies should consider making attentiveness to ethics a component of employee evaluations, as well as compensating employees for flagging ethical concerns.
Overall, 84% of respondents’ companies are currently using AI in some way. And 88% of the companies are either upskilling or reskilling employees in response to Generative AI or are nearly ready to do so.
Said Ammanath, “Companies’ concurrent strategies — upskilling their employees, hiring for new roles, and even acquiring companies that have existing AI capabilities — demonstrate that they recognize the immense possibility that only the human element can generate from AI.”
The survey, taken in mid-January, is a follow-up to Deloitte’s recent “State of Ethics and Trust in Technology” annual report, which surveyed 1,716 business and technical professionals to assess whether and how ethical standards are being applied to emerging technology.
