AI Ethical Literacy for Government
For governments, the conversation around AI has largely focused on regulatory frameworks, security concerns, or the implications of AI on economic growth and innovation. Some governments are leveraging AI to enhance public services, while others are cautious, introducing restrictions to mitigate potential risks.
However, for governments, it’s not enough to merely understand how AI works from a technical standpoint.
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Recognizing the outputs of AI is just the starting point.
What’s crucial is addressing the ethical challenges AI presents today and preparing future leaders, policymakers, and civil servants to navigate the ethical dilemmas that AI will create in the coming years.
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Imagine going back to 2004, just before the rise of social media, and being able to forewarn policymakers about the waves of challenges that platforms like Facebook would bring: privacy breaches, misinformation, social polarisation, and mental health crises. We are at a similar juncture with AI. While it presents enormous opportunities, AI also carries significant risks that will deeply impact societies, economies, and governance.
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Drawing from our experience working within the UK Home Office, where we helped shape the Prevent Duty, to the UN and the EU shaping policy to respond to the negative impacts of social media, we recognise how the rapid adoption of new technologies can lead to unintended consequences—something we now see unfolding with AI.
Having spent the last decade working to train governments on recognising and addressing these risks, developing their strategy to protect citizens from the worst excess of the unintended consequences, we believe that the long-term solution lies in promoting better ethical literacy and responsible governance.
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AI Ethical Literacy is our framework designed to help governments anticipate and avoid the potential harms of AI. It equips policymakers, regulators, and public servants to address the pressing ethical questions AI presents today and tomorrow, building robust models of good governance, social justice, and a balanced digital future. These are not abstract philosophical discussions but practical considerations for modern governance, including:
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Addressing bias and ensuring fairness in AI-driven decisions
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Promoting transparency and accountability in AI use across public services
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Protecting privacy and upholding citizens’ digital rights
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Safeguarding human dignity and reimagining the future of work
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Ensuring AI’s alignment with democratic values and norms
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Promoting sustainability and mitigating long-term societal impacts
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To assess your government’s readiness get in touch with us to discuss tailored support, training and capacity-building programs. These initiatives are designed to empower policymakers, regulatory bodies, and civil servants to meet the ethical challenges posed by AI head-on.
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AI will undoubtedly reshape governance and public life, but it would be a critical error to assume that governments have no influence over how these transformations unfold. Now is the time to prepare for the ethical responsibilities that come with this powerful technology.
"AI ethics makes us think about what a good and fair society is, what a meaningful human life is, and what the role of technology is and could be in relation to these... it could be that we have already answers to these questions, but we need to do some work to think about what the good life means in the context of today's technologies, including AI."
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- Professor Mark Coeckelbergh
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For Policy Leads
AI programmes are released at a rate of approximately 1500 a week. No-one can keep a register of the risks they pose. Rather, we want to help you to understand some of the ways their functions could impact your strategic vision and wider corproate goals.
For Management
All those in leadership need an understanding of AI that enables them to meet the needs of their teams and their company strategy. They are best-placed to guide others through the ethical questions that AI poses. We want to help you to develop the critical ethical thinking that will be essential to your future success.
For all Public Servants
Front line staff, often younger, are more often the early-adopters of any new technology. However, surveys show they are also the most likely to regard it as a neutral resource. This is not true. The ethical impacts of their use of AI need to be considered both to society, but also to the reputation and impact of your business.
Who We Are
Our experience and our mission
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We don't believe that DIgital LIteracy programmes yet grapple with the immense changes AI will offer. We argue that the answer is in an ethical literacy that enables people to critically assess AI before they use it.
Find links to AI Ethical pages, digital literacy sites and read reviews of useful materials. We are also building our own resource bank of resorces which will be available to trainees.
Think AI
We base our training on our own experience coming face to face with ethical dilemmas posed by AI in use today. Take a look at our latest throught leadership on whatis changing, and what needs to change.
Some of our clients
