Understanding Responsible AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming much more prevalent in the business landscape, as an increasing number of workers actively pursue AI tools to enhance their productivity. As such, it is more critical than ever that AI technology is designed, implemented, and used responsibly.

Last updated 31st July 2024

AI technology is revolutionising the way we learn, innovate, and work. Yet, this transformative power carries a profound responsibility. Technology companies must prioritise the ethical development, deployment, and usage of AI to ensure a positive impact on our society.

This is where responsible AI steps in, serving as a guiding principle in navigating the dynamic landscape of technology. By emphasising responsible practices, technology leaders can mould AI into a force for good, proactively addressing potential ethical concerns, fostering fairness, and ensuring that the benefits of AI are accessible to everyone.

What is responsible AI?

Responsible AI is an approach to the development and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI), to ensure it’s used in a safe, trustworthy, and ethical way. By adopting responsible AI practices, tech companies strive to enhance transparency and proactively reduce issues like AI bias, ultimately fostering a positive societal impact.

AI bias refers to the presence of unfair and prejudiced outcomes in artificial intelligence based on algorithms that reflect human biases. These biases can negatively affect individuals from minority groups and can be extremely problematic. Responsible AI ensures that AI software is centred around human values, making it interpretable and explainable.

Responsible AI encompasses a list of principles, that may differ from organisation to organisation. Microsoft and Google, for example, each adhere to their unique set of principles, reflecting their ethical commitments in the development and deployment of AI.

Microsoft’s commitment to responsible AI

Businesses worldwide depend on Microsoft and have confidence in their product offerings. Consequently, the introduction of its AI products are expected to pique the interest of and encourage adoption within the business landscape.

Microsoft’s commitment to responsible AI is guided by a set of principles. Microsoft follows its own responsible AI framework that has been crafted to guarantee that the utilisation of its AI technology aligns with ethical standards and delivers exceptional responses to challenging problems without causing any unintended negative impacts.

Microsoft’s six principles of responsible AI: *

Fairness – Microsoft AI systems are designed with quality of service, availability of resources, and a minimisation of the potential for stereotyping based on demographics, culture, or other factors.
Reliability and safety – Microsoft AI systems are developed in a way that is consistent with Microsoft’s design ideas, values, and principles so as to not create harm in the world.
Privacy and security – With an increased reliance on data to develop and train AI systems, Microsoft has established requirements to ensure that data is not leaked or disclosed.
Inclusiveness – Microsoft’s AI systems should empower and engage communities around the world, and to do this, Microsoft partners with under-served minority communities to plan, test, and build AI systems.
Transparency – People who create AI systems should be open about how and why they are using AI, and open about the limitations of the system. Additionally, everyone must understand the behaviour of AI systems.
Accountability – Everyone is accountable for how technology impacts the world. For Microsoft, this means they are consistently enacting our principles and taking them into account in everything that we do.

*What is responsible AI? – Microsoft Support

Ground-breaking AI for SMEs

Microsoft is committed to using responsible AI in all of its AI-powered features including Copilot for Microsoft 365, Copilot, and Microsoft 365 Chat.

As of 16th January 2024, Microsoft announced that Copilot for Microsoft 365 was available for business users to purchase with no minimum seat requirements with all qualifying licenses. To get started with Copilot for Microsoft 365, you will need to activate and purchase the add-on plan + have either one of the following licensing prerequisites:

Microsoft 365 Business Standard
Microsoft 365 Business Premium
Microsoft 365 E5
Microsoft 365 E3
Office 365 E3
Office 365 E5
Microsoft 365 A5 for faculty
Microsoft 365 A3 for faculty
Office 365 A5 for faculty
Office 365 A3 for faculty

Copilot for Microsoft 365, the cutting-edge AI product from Microsoft is built using Microsoft’s comprehensive approach: Security + Compliance + Privacy + Responsible AI and is designed to completely revolutionise how we work.

Embracing AI holds the key to securing a prosperous future for UK SMEs and unlocking the full potential of our workforce. The age of workplace AI is upon us, and falling behind is a risk we cannot afford to take.

Find out how Copilot for Microsoft 365 can supercharge your productivity. Download our webinar to uncover the cutting-edge AI-powered tool that aims to transform the way you work.

Please note: If your company is looking to be one of the first SMBs to implement Microsoft 365 Copilot, it is essential your organisation requests our Readiness Assessment. Our Copilot for Microsoft 365 readiness assessment is an evaluation of your organisation’s readiness to adopt Microsoft’s new AI solution for 365, Copilot. This will enable you to take full advantage of Copilot’s capabilities.