Can AI be Accountable?

TL;DR

This paper discusses the importance of AI accountability, defining what it means for AI systems to be answerable to humans, and explores approaches to enhance AI accountability for societal trust and safety.

Contribution

It relates the general concept of accountability to AI, illustrating what accountable AI entails and proposing approaches to improve AI accountability.

Findings

Current AI systems lack accountability mechanisms

Accountable AI requires transparency and discussion capabilities

Proposed approaches can enhance AI accountability

Abstract

The AI we use is powerful, and its power is increasing rapidly. If this powerful AI is to serve the needs of consumers, voters, and decision makers, then it is imperative that the AI is accountable. In general, an agent is accountable to a forum if the forum can request information from the agent about its actions, if the forum and the agent can discuss this information, and if the forum can sanction the agent. Unfortunately, in too many cases today's AI is not accountable -- we cannot question it, enter into a discussion with it, let alone sanction it. In this chapter we relate the general definition of accountability to AI, we illustrate what it means for AI to be accountable and unaccountable, and we explore approaches that can improve our chances of living in a world where all AI is accountable to those who are affected by it.