Training Ethically Responsible AI Researchers: a Case Study

TL;DR

This paper advocates for training AI researchers in ethics as a proactive approach to ethical oversight, illustrated through a case study of a doctoral training program and student reflections.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach of embedding ethics training into AI researcher education, moving beyond reliance on review boards.

Findings

Students developed enhanced ethical reflection skills.

Ethics training improved researchers' ability to handle ethical dilemmas.

The case study demonstrates practical implementation of ethics education in AI research training.

Abstract

Ethical oversight of AI research is beset by a number of problems. There are numerous ways to tackle these problems, however, they leave full responsibility for ethical reflection in the hands of review boards and committees. In this paper, we propose an alternative solution: the training of ethically responsible AI researchers. We showcase this solution through a case study of a centre for doctoral training and outline how ethics training is structured in the program. We go on to present two second-year students' reflections on their training which demonstrates some of their newly found capabilities as ethically responsible researchers.