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Imagine a future where artificial intelligence (AI) revolutionizes our lives – equitably! – a world where AI’s transformative power uplifts everyone, irrespective of gender or background. This vision can only be realized by confronting and bridging the gender gap in AI to ensure the technology is a tool of inclusion, not exclusion.

AI ethics is crucial because, despite AI’s potential benefits, it can lead to significant harm, especially for women and marginalized groups. If biases and discriminatory and exclusionary practices “built” into underlying datasets are not identified and addressed, they will be perpetuated through the use of AI. With AI increasingly influencing access to credit, employment, and education, effective tools and approaches are needed to help policymakers and decision-makers to design, develop, and use AI ethically.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) 2022 Global Equitable AI Challenge invested in innovative approaches to help identify and address actual and potential gender biases within AI systems across global development contexts. The Challenge aimed to increase the prevention, identification, transparency, monitoring, and accountability of AI systems so that their outputs do not produce gender-inequitable results.

To navigate the complexities of AI ethics, USAID developed a comprehensive AI Ethics Guide and a Checklist for AI Deployment under the Equitable AI Challenge, in collaboration with DAI Digital Frontiers, Women in Digital Transformation (WinDt Consulting), PIT Policy Lab, Itad, and Athena Infonomics.

Navigating the Ethical Landscape of AI

The USAID AI Ethics Guide and Checklist provide a robust framework for ethical AI development and deployment. The framework includes a set of guiding principles, recommended approach to AI design and development, and a project tool for creating an AI deployment roadmap:

• Foundational Principles: Fairness, Accountability, Privacy, Safety, and Security: The Guide addresses these principles comprehensively, emphasizing transparency, accountability, and privacy rights to ensure AI systems are fair, secure, and safe.
• Collaboration and Multidisciplinary Teams: AI ethics requires a diverse range of experts, from an independent AI ethics team shaping guidelines to forming diverse, multidisciplinary and qualified teams, including data scientists and representatives of different sectors, gender experts, and professionals of varied technical expertise. Collaboration among stakeholders fosters comprehensive, more effective ethical AI systems development.
• A Roadmap for Ethical AI Deployment: The Checklist for AI Deployment complements the AI Ethics Guide, offering a step-by-step process for assessing ethical implications at every stage of projects deploying AI solutions.

AI Ethics Guide is a resource for policymakers across sectors seeking to understand the challenges, opportunities, and risks of AI adoption. The Guide includes a definition of AI, a discussion of ethical issues related to AI, and proposals for how these issues can be addressed. It also includes examples of  AI-related ethical issues, approaches to addressing these issues, and relevant reflection questions.

The Checklist for AI Deployment is a tool to help decision-makers assess the ethical implications of AI projects and identify potential risks and mitigation strategies. The AI Checklist is a questionnaire designed to help assess and mitigate the potentially harmful impacts associated with deploying an AI system.

The AI Checklist should be completed at the beginning of the design phase of a project using AI. The questionnaire contains 30 questions covering six domains: regulations, business processes, data, system design, decision-making relevant to each situation and context, and monitoring and evaluation. The document also informs policymakers striving to find a starting point to adopt AI systems responsibly.

Unlocking the Potential: How You Can Benefit

AI’s transformative power is undeniable, but it comes with ethical responsibilities. The USAID AI Ethics Guide and Checklist empower organizations to navigate the complexities of AI ethics, contributing to a more responsible and inclusive AI future.

Ethical AI is not optional—it is a necessity, and these resources provide the guidance needed to use AI in development responsibly.

• Guidance: The USAID AI Ethics Guide is a resource for policy-makers and technical teams seeking to understand the challenges, opportunities, and risks of AI adoption.
• Checklist: The Checklist for AI Deployment is a step-by-step practical tool, ensuring ethical considerations are integrated throughout the entire AI project lifecycle.

Interested in learning more about how AI can bridge the gender digital divide? Explore the USAID AI Ethics Guide and Checklist for AI Deployment!

By Women in Digital Transformation – WinDT Consulting