SAP on artificial intelligence and ethics

The
animated face of prototype robot GRACE, Graduate Robot Attending
Conference, is tested by Carnegie Mellon University computer
scientist Reid Simmons, right, in the lab at the school in
Pittsburgh.

Keith
Srakocic/AP

• In this op-ed, SAP president of Americas and
  Asia Pacific Japan Global Customer Operations Jennifer
  Morgan argues that while artificial intelligence holds plenty
  of promise for businesses, it may also create numerous
  economic, political and social challenges. 
• AI technology needs to be governed by clear ethics
  rules, Morgan says. 

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The AI revolution has the promise
to unlock boundless potential for businesses: from better
products and services, to faster innovation and unimaginable
leaps in productivity.

But, like all great technological
advancements, AI also has the potential to create numerous
economic, political and social challenges, depending upon how it
is used and implemented. Because of that, the use of AI
technology needs to be governed by clear rules of ethics —
defined at the outset of this new era, instead of later on, when
abuses or ill-considered practices could be far more difficult to
control.  

This is not the first time
society has been at a crossroads where we face new technological
powers that can serve great and worthy purposes or be abused to
support some very bad ones. Yet one thing is clear and remains in
our power: artificial intelligence, will never substitute for
human wisdom or moral responsibility.

Among technology companies, few
are closer to the center of this ethical challenge than SAP. Our
various systems play some part in about 77% of the world’s
transactions, and our applications affect the lives of billions
of people daily.  Add to that, more than 400,000 corporate
customers worldwide, and it’s clear we are in a position of
influence. We intend to use that influence, by laying out careful
standards, and encouraging other companies to do the same.

Not long ago, we announced our
guiding principles for the uses of AI. We became the first
European technology company to create an external, transparent AI
Ethics Advisory Panel consisting of thoughtful men and women from
many fields. The panel will stay alert to possible misuses of AI
in every area — from labor management to data protection. It will
listen to concerns and work on ways to avert problems.

Moreover, in all practices
employing AI technology, we firmly adhere to our company’s

Human Rights Commitment
Statement

, as well as
to the

UN Guiding Principles on Business
and Human Rights

.

Both of those documents pay
special attention, as they should, to the potential impact all
new technologies could have on jobs. And it’s a safe assumption
that AI will follow the familiar pattern of creating new types of
work at the expense of traditional ones. It’s all the more
important, therefore, that companies not be passive as these
changes unfold, relentlessly adopting technologies without regard
for their impact on workers or society.

As AI is just emerging, these
guiding principles are just a starting point.  As large and
resourceful as we are, we know we don’t have all the answers. In
publishing these principles, we invite the best ideas of everyone
on our team. That’s why an internal Steering Committee, comprised
of SAP employees from development, strategy, human resources, and
other departments, will work with the External Advisory Panel to
refine the guidelines and ensure they keep pace with the dramatic
changes to come.

We also know that the entire
community of AI technology providers must work together to uphold
ethical standards, and vague standards will not be enough. Clear,
bright lines of ethics, far from hindering AI and ML, will be
essential to their success.  As with every new power we gain
from technology, what matters most is that technology serves
humanity, and not the other way around.

 Jennifer Morgan is a member of SAP’s executive
board and the president of Americas and Asia Pacific
Japan Global Customer Operations