Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence Tools by Small and Medium Organizations
Scope:
Note: The title, scope and project need for this NOI (originally published on May 9, 2023) were updated by the responsible SDO on May 14, 2024. This Standard specifies minimum requirements for incorporating ethics in the design and use of artificial intelligence intended for small and medium organization, which typically have less than 500 employees. This Standard is limited to artificial intelligence (AI) using machine learning for automated decisions and includes generative AI. This Standard applies to all organizations, including public and private companies, government entities, and not-for-profit organizations. This Standard provides a framework and process to help organizations align with international and Canadian guidance norms on the governance of AI systems (including the OECD’s AI Principles, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat’s Directive on Automated Decision Making, AIDA, and NIST RMF). Note that organizations with more than 500 employees may also benefit from applying this Standard for the ethical design and use of artificial intelligence in their organizations.
Project need:
According to a recent report by Grand View Research, over 70% of SMEs (Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises) worldwide are already using some form of AI technology in their businesses. SMEs have been using AI tools to automate routine tasks and analyse patterns and trends in customer data to increase efficiency and effectiveness of operations and reduce costs. Other business applications of artificial intelligence relate to automation, image/face recognition, natural language processing, data analytics and predictive capacity. For instance, SMEs are using artificial intelligence in the following ways: using NLP and machine learning algorithms for improving the effectiveness of their written content briefs and business plans, using predictive analytics to classify sales leads, using NLP and machine learning algorithms to generate email marketing campaigns, automating HR tasks such as resume screening and candidate selection, creating high-quality images without requiring advanced technical skills However, SMEs might lack the training or data culture to understand the risks faced through the implementation of their AI tools. As such, this Standard sets minimum requirements for SMEs to consider when deploying or procuring AI.
Note: The information provided above was obtained by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) and is provided as part of a centralized, transparent notification system for new standards development. The system allows SCC-accredited Standards Development Organizations (SDOs), and members of the public, to be informed of new work in Canadian standards development, and allows SCC-accredited SDOs to identify and resolve potential duplication of standards and effort.
Individual SDOs are responsible for the content and accuracy of the information presented here. The text is presented in the language in which it was provided to SCC.