AI for social good

UNESCO defines ethical AI under four core principles; human rights and dignity, living in peace, diversity and inclusiveness, and flourishing ecosystems.¹ These principles are focused on outcomes and mean that companies deploying AI must plan with a long-range view that anticipates the downstream impact of their decisions. For tech leaders, this means doing everything in their sphere of influence to ensure ethical AI such as; democratising AI development between economies, ensuring the careful management of information to protect customer data and developing AI alongside human workers to preserve the longevity of their careers.

Global parameters of ethical AI for companies vary. Whereas the European Union focuses on lawmaking to protect health, safety and human rights, the US is led by a tech giant alliance that protects against national threats such as biosecurity and cybersecurity.² and ³

In Asia Pacific policies such as China’s Deep Synthesis Provisions Act and Singapore’s MAS-led assessment methodologies show the intent for deep AI development in the region.⁴

For many companies with tech-focused growth plans, AI implementation is already underway. PwC, for example, has deployed AI chatbots for 4,000 of their lawyers to support “contract analysis, regulatory compliance work, due diligence, and other legal advisory and consulting services”. The global rollout has been underpinned by the ethos that AI is there to help their lawyers deliver better services, rather than replace them.5

PwC’s success is thanks to a human-first approach and commitment to integrating innovations that help people thrive. When AI deployment has planet and community benefits in its primary principles, the downstream impact is inherently ethical. 

Let’s look at more examples of ethical AI:

Fair access to AI-managed networks

Powerful, AI-managed networks can accelerate the transformation to a digitally enabled society but without fair access to these services, these network types run the risk of enhancing some nations ahead of all others. 

To ensure fair access to the benefits AI brings, the mobile industry organisation GSMA is developing an AI code of ethics that adheres to principles of privacy and fairness. In collaboration with 27 mobile operators, including Singtel, GSMA outlines the products and governance steps that must be considered in building ethical AI. That includes how AI-powered network optimisation can be used to benefit people and the planet.6

Data protection

The World Economic Forum describes telecommunications companies as the lynchpin between ethical AI and cybersecurity.⁷ As custodians of vast swathes of data, telcos can play an active role in the shared ethical responsibility of protecting personal and business information. One such approach is by curbing rising scams with products like SingVerify - a suite of solutions that authenticates digital identities registered on consumer services or platforms against telco data. This enables providers with highly sensitive information such as ecommerce or banks, to deploy the solution in the fight against phishing and malware app scams.

Now that AI is being used to trick people into sharing personal data, that active role also extends into detecting attempts to access this data and preventing leaks enabled by AI.

The personal and business impact of lost data is devastating and, when in the hands of nefarious actors, can have a large financial cost. Protecting data privacy is an ethical imperative.

Real-time national security

AI is also protecting the right to safety and security for citizens at a national level. Although projects are largely secretive, AI-enabled robots, drones and autonomous vehicles are being used to prepare for threats to national security. 

In the background of these developments is 5G which allows security-tech deployments, such as IoT-powered surveillance, to happen at the speed needed to preserve human life. 

Singtel’s 5G Paragon and network slicing means companies can leverage AI at the edge to deliver fast, precise services and enable decision-making in a pressured environment. Because AI at the edge removes the need to connect to the cloud or a separate data centre, the speed of delivery increases significantly. 

For companies with AI in their growth plans, there are three essential principles by which to live: 

1. Be aware of bias

While AI is a computational ‘brain’ it has been defined and trained by humans who come with inherent, unavoidable bias. To counter this bias, leaders must employ a diverse team of AI specialists who can alert decision-makers to ethical grey areas before they become problematic. 

2. Train the team

Hesitancy to AI development from employees largely stems from anxiety that their roles will be replaced. To ensure the continuation of their careers and willingness to embed AI, employees must be involved from the outset. This collaboration on the objectives and deployment of AI ensures their informed consent and builds skills to make them future-ready.

3. Democratise AI development

Without the democratic development of AI, it risks deepening the economic divide between developed and developing nations. Singtel’s Nxera was developed with this in mind. The data centre brand advances AI development across nations and ensures that AI ‘wealth’ is not concentrated in developed nations. It does this by democratising AI access for enterprises and testbedding data centre efficiencies for rollout across the region. Nxera also uses water-saving techniques to ensure this precious commodity is preserved for future generations. 

All companies deploying AI have a duty of care to ensure this powerful innovation benefits humankind. By setting a human-focused objective at the outset, nurturing health and longevity, and deploying sustainable technologies, companies can ensure the ethical deployment of AI. 

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