Integrity Institute Submits Public Comment on AI Accountability to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration

In April 2023, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) requested public comments on “what policies can support the development of AI audits, assessments, certifications and other mechanisms to create earned trust in AI systems” in the United States. In response, the Integrity Institute submitted comments to the NTIA in June 2023 that focused especially on the objectives of, and barriers to, effective AI accountability. As AI systems are being rapidly deployed in public, it is crucial that society understands the inability to walk back the real-life implications of building and deploying these technologies irresponsibly.

While the Integrity Institute’s focus so far has been on social media platforms, we are paying attention to these conversations around AI for two significant reasons:

First, AI developments (and generative AI in particular) are impacting the work of integrity professionals. Institute members recently wrote about the ways that AI can present opportunities, challenges and solutions for those people working on trust and safety online.

Second, integrity workers’ expertise can help foster the development of responsible AI. Such expertise in tackling complex problems of the social internet, understanding risks, the role that design plays in amplifying or mitigating those risks, thinking through unknown impacts and scenarios and the tough choices that come with governing these spaces, is directly applicable to the current discussions around building responsible AI and designing effective accountability mechanisms.

The current moment in AI development parallels the arc of social media platforms: products were rushed to market without adequate safety design; after launch, companies (and the world) saw new ways these products could be used in negative ways. Integrity workers are the ones trying to combat these problems and encourage responsible design within companies. There is an opportunity with AI to build in safety, fairness, and transparency earlier in the process, and effective AI accountability policies from the NTIA would be a start.

You can read the Integrity Institute’s public comments to the NTIA in full here. They are prepared from the following resources:

1. Member post that outlines some basic ways integrity workers can enter the conversation on responsible AI

2. Member post on how AI will impact the work of integrity workers

3. Member comment on the draft EU AI Act, especially the “Auditing AI Systems for Bias” section

4. Extensive inputs from member David Harris