Corporate directors weigh AI ethics at first-of-its-kind forum 

As artificial intelligence surges, corporate directors face a set of urgent ethical considerations. What role can they play in fostering responsible practices for using AI in the workplace? Are they already using the bias-prone technology to sort through job applications?

At the inaugural Directors’ AI Ethics Forum, leaders from the business, government, and nonprofit sectors pondered these questions and more. Convening the group on the Harvard Business School campus was the Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics’ Business AI Ethics research team, an initiative that promotes thoughtful approaches to the rapidly evolving technology.

“The Forum was an incredible start to building what we hope will be an ongoing community of practice between researchers and business leaders,” said jonathan hack, director of Partnerships and Engagement for the Ethics Center.

The forum’s presenters covered everything from business case studies to the outlook for government regulation worldwide. Kicking things off were Nien-hê Hsieh, the Kim B. Clark Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, and EY Consulting principal Jeffrey Saviano. In capturing the speed at which AI technologies are being adopted, their session set a tone of cautious optimism and conscientious experimentation. 

Next up was Julian De Freitas, an assistant professor of business administration in the HBS Marketing Unit, who went over real-world applications in the realm of brand management. He stressed that AI is one of many tools available to problem-solvers in business. To use the technology responsibly, he said, leaders must assess whether AI is the appropriate solution for each specific scenario. 

Other highlights included William W. Fisher, the WilmerHale Professor of Intellectual Property Law at Harvard Law School and faculty director of Berkman Klein Center, who spoke to the piecemeal reality of AI regulations across the U.S., E.U., and China. Cansu Canca, director of Responsible AI Practice at Northeastern University’s Institute for Experiential AI, offered a roadmap to those hoping to balance ethics with a healthy embrace of innovation. 

The forum closed with directors engaged in open, honest conversation about the path forward. The event was co-sponsored by the Harvard Business School, Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, and HKS’s GETTING-Plurality Network.