Since 2023, MIT Sloan Management Review has published debates around the responsible use of AI (RAI). The debates were based on specific questions raised to a panel of experts. Our CEO and co-founder, Dr. Richard Benjamins, has participated in all those debates. This series of blog posts gathers his responses to the 14 debates held on RAI.

All blog posts in the series have the same structure. The title is the question, and the brief text is the position of Richard. Responses were limited to 1200 characters, so the posts are short.

As the business community becomes more aware of AI’s risks, companies are making adequate investments in RAI programs.

Business communities are becoming more aware about the importance of responsible AI (RAI) programs through publications and other media, but also through an increasing call for regulations and awareness of international recommendations.

But currently, this increased awareness is not yet converting into actions supported by adequate investments in RAI programs. For one thing, it is not yet clear to many organisations what it means to implement a RAI program, let alone what investments it requires. Some early adopters have setup RAI programs, such as those part of UNESCO’s Business Council for ethical AI (https://www.unesco.org/en/artificial-intelligence/ibero-america-network). The majority of companies is still in the initial phase, trying to figure out what responsible AI means for them from an organisational- and business perspective.

Start-ups are even less aware of the importance of RAI, since they are mostly focused on bringing their products to markets. However, venture capitalists are gaining interest in the ethical and social impact of the start-ups they may invest in.

Overall, little published experience exists, and therefore, initiatives such as Spain’s Regulatory Sandbox and UNESCO’s AI Business Council are important to better understand what it implies to design and implement a RAI program and what the required investment is.