During COVID-19, I have had to make sacrifices, but I have also had much to be grateful for. Here are some of the many people I’m grateful for this year:
the front-line workers who made sure we had food and supplies
the many health care professionals who managed our testing, treatments and care
the students who adapted to distanced learning and made the best of it under challenging circumstance
the educators who stayed committed to providing an inspiring education during a time when all the rules changed and everything had to be reimagined from the ground up
the parents who were overwhelmed with the responsibility for home learning and yet helped their children and teens move forward in their education
the family and friends who found new ways to stay connected and support one another safely during the pandemic
This message is for them:
‘Thank you for your commitment to helping us all move forward during this difficult time. I appreciate all you have done to make things better, in big and small ways. You made many sacrifices so that others could succeed. You inspire me to do more and be more by your example.”
Take a moment, in this season of giving thanks, to share a message of gratitude with someone who has inspired you during this challenging year.
Who is accountable for ethical artificial intelligence? How do you build accountability into your organization’s use of AI? I was recently invited to answer those questions in a guest blog post published on the EDUCAUSE Professional Development Commons and EDUCAUSE Review.
There is more to think about when implementing AI than just efficiency and time savings. There are ethical implications at every step in the process. This article includes an overview of those ethical implications and steps organizations can take to build ethics into current and future AI projects.
“Determining who is responsible for ethical AI turns out to be more complicated than identifying the person who created the program. There are potentially multiple responsible parties, including programmers, sellers, and implementers of AI-enabled products and services. For AI to be ethical, multiple parties must fulfill their ethical obligations.… IT departments should be ready to assess and manage ethics before, during, and after AI deployment.”
While the article was written for higher education IT professionals, the principles apply to any IT department in any industry that is directly or indirectly (through vendors) using AI.
Share this article with your team to establish a baseline understanding of ethical accountability for AI, and to incorporate key steps into your planning and implementation processes.
“The question is not “Which one of these perspectives is right?” because they are all important ways of thinking about the goal of leadership. They are part of a bigger view that incorporates many dimensions of leadership responsibility. The question is “How can we honor all of them?”
“These surveys reflect increasing expectations for business leaders – the expectations that we take responsibility well beyond managing our own Profits, to also improve life for People, support the success of Communities and protect the Planet. Profits and Corporate Social Responsibility are no longer seen as mutually exclusive ideals.”
“Why is it so difficult to agree on the right thing to do? One of the reasons we may not agree is that each of us may be using a different definition of what is “good.” Here are 7 different interpretations of what is ethically good, based on the framework in 7 Lenses“
“Grounding our work in values is critically important but it’s not enough. There’s much more to being ready for the future of leadership than just staying aligned with positive values. This week I’m sharing a graphic about 5 other variables that need to be in place to build a positive ethical culture – the proper time orientation, focus, response, level and complexity.“
“Following this definition, integrity is the alignment of our thoughts, actions and words with our personal values. The tricky thing about integrity in organizations is that integrity is partly internal (what we think) and partly external (what we say and do).”
“Conscious capitalism involves thinking beyond self-interests, demonstrating care for stakeholders at the global level, using a long-term time orientation and seeing the company’s role in the world through a systems view.”
“Many people refer to the “greater good” as an important part of leading ethically, and use different words to describe it. The descriptions they use collectively paint a picture of a responsibility to think beyond ourselves and to work for a better, inclusive society.”
“I believe that the following 14 personal, interpersonal and societal dimensions together form what we think of as authenticity. They involve overcoming the internal and external barriers to living an intentional, aware and ethical life.”
“As you review these reader favorites, think about how you will adapt to changing ethical leadership expectations.”
As you plan for a successful year, keep in mind that ethics is a hot topic for consumers. How well you understand and apply ethical business leadership will have a strong bearing on your success.
According to Sue Langley, at the Langley Group, “It takes more effort to think about and do something new than react out of instinct or habit.” Fortunately, she adds, “willpower, focused attention and mindful action can be used to push through resistance and rewire habitual patterns.” (The Neuroscience of Change, Langley Group)
Being aware of the brain’s tendency to want to keep things the same is important in terms of ethical decision making. What could we be missing?
Does that change we’ve been putting off put us at risk of failing to keep up with changing ethical expectations?
Is our discomfort with change causing us to make decisions that harm individuals or groups?
Are we thinking short term because it is more familiar, when a long-term perspective is really needed?
It will take an intentional effort to overcome the seductive power of the status quo. Take charge of the decision-making process and use ethical values to make ethical choices.
Linda Fisher Thornton
