• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Core Principles of Responsible AI
    • Accountability
    • Fairness
    • Privacy
    • Safety and Security
    • Sustainability
    • Transparency
  • Special Topics
    • AI in Industry
    • Ethical Implications
    • Human-Centered Design
    • Regulatory Landscape
    • Technical Methods
  • Living Dictionary
  • State of AI Ethics
  • AI Ethics Brief
  • 🇫🇷
Montreal AI Ethics Institute

Montreal AI Ethics Institute

Democratizing AI ethics literacy

SECure: A Social and Environmental Certificate for AI Systems

July 19, 2020

Get the paper in PDF formDownload

Art by Playthink

Abstract

In a world increasingly dominated by AI applications, an understudied aspect is the carbon and social footprint of these power-hungry algorithms that require copious computation and a trove of data for training and prediction. While profitable in the short-term, these practices are unsustainable and socially extractive from both a data-use and energy-use perspective. This work proposes an ESG-inspired framework combining socio-technical measures to build eco-socially responsible AI systems. The framework has four pillars: compute-efficient machine learning, federated learning, data sovereignty, and a LEEDesque certificate.

Compute-efficient machine learning is the use of compressed network architectures that show marginal decreases in accuracy. Federated learning augments the first pillar’s impact through the use of techniques that distribute computational loads across idle capacity on devices. This is paired with the third pillar of data sovereignty to ensure the privacy of user data via techniques like use-based privacy and differential privacy. The final pillar ties all these factors together and certifies products and services in a standardized manner on their environmental and social
impacts, allowing consumers to align their purchase with their values.

Get the paper in PDF formDownload
Want quick summaries of the latest research & reporting in AI ethics delivered to your inbox? Subscribe to the AI Ethics Brief. We publish bi-weekly.

Primary Sidebar

🔍 SEARCH

Spotlight

AI Policy Corner: Japan’s AI Promotion Act

AI Policy Corner: Texas and New York: Comparing U.S. State-Level AI Laws

What is Sovereign Artificial Intelligence?

AI Policy Corner: The Kenya National AI Strategy

AI Policy Corner: New York City Local Law 144

related posts

  • Andrew Ng’s AI For Everyone - The Definitive Starting Block for AI Novices

    Andrew Ng’s AI For Everyone - The Definitive Starting Block for AI Novices

  • Anthropomorphized AI as Capitalist Agents: The Price We Pay for Familiarity

    Anthropomorphized AI as Capitalist Agents: The Price We Pay for Familiarity

  • Montreal AI Symposium Presentation at Polytechnique

    Montreal AI Symposium Presentation at Polytechnique

  • Reflections from Microsoft's Ignite The Tour

    Reflections from Microsoft's Ignite The Tour

  • 10 takeaways from our meetup on AI Ethics in the APAC Region

    10 takeaways from our meetup on AI Ethics in the APAC Region

  • The Ethics of AI in Medtech: A Discussion With Abhishek Gupta

    The Ethics of AI in Medtech: A Discussion With Abhishek Gupta

  • The Abuse and Misogynoir Playbook, explained

    The Abuse and Misogynoir Playbook, explained

  • Computers, Creativity and Copyright: Autonomous Robot’s Status, Authorship, and Outdated Copyright L...

    Computers, Creativity and Copyright: Autonomous Robot’s Status, Authorship, and Outdated Copyright L...

  • AI For Good Global Summit Interview (ITU/UN) 2018

    AI For Good Global Summit Interview (ITU/UN) 2018

  • Meet the inaugural cohort of the MAIEI Summer Research Internship!

    Meet the inaugural cohort of the MAIEI Summer Research Internship!

Partners

  •  
    U.S. Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute Consortium (AISIC) at NIST

  • Partnership on AI

  • The LF AI & Data Foundation

  • The AI Alliance

Footer

Categories


• Blog
• Research Summaries
• Columns
• Core Principles of Responsible AI
• Special Topics

Signature Content


• The State Of AI Ethics

• The Living Dictionary

• The AI Ethics Brief

Learn More


• About

• Open Access Policy

• Contributions Policy

• Editorial Stance on AI Tools

• Press

• Donate

• Contact

The AI Ethics Brief (bi-weekly newsletter)

About Us


Founded in 2018, the Montreal AI Ethics Institute (MAIEI) is an international non-profit organization equipping citizens concerned about artificial intelligence and its impact on society to take action.


Archive

  • © MONTREAL AI ETHICS INSTITUTE. All rights reserved 2024.
  • This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
  • Learn more about our open access policy here.
  • Creative Commons License

    Save hours of work and stay on top of Responsible AI research and reporting with our bi-weekly email newsletter.