Fairness in AI Systems Development: Beyond EU AI Act Compliance

Fairness in AI Systems Development: Beyond EU AI Act Compliance

연구 분야: Software Development

학회: International Conference on Software Business

Rapid popularisation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has accelerated initiatives for ethical AI development. In the European Union (EU), the Artificial Intelligence Act (AIA) entered into force on the 1st of August 2024, which has steered the focus in many organisations towards compliance. As the AIA is not an ethics guideline, it is reasonable to assume that measures beyond compliance are required for ethical AI systems development. To help unravel what is already covered by the AIA and what not, this paper studies the premise the AIA lays out for ethical AI systems development. Drawing from critical theory and using John Rawls’s theory of justice, the paper shows how the Act provides limited support for basic liberties, equality of opportunity and the least advantaged members of society, which calls for attention concerning ethical reflection in the AI system lifecycle to ensure ethically sustainable AI development. Recommendations are given on what kinds of ethical considerations organisations should include in Agile AI development process to steer the development towards justice as fairness.