Developing standards

Building on academic work led through the Emotional AI Lab and, separately, the now published IEEE P7014 Standard for Ethical Considerations in Emulated Empathy in Autonomous and Intelligent Systems, we are developing an important offshoot: the P7014.1 technical standard to directly address the overlap between emulated empathy and human-AI partnering, that includes companions, agents assistants and related social chatbots.

Focusing on this overlap, the IEEE P7014.1 standard will define ethical considerations, detail good practices, and augment and complement international human rights and regional law.

Use cases encompass general-purpose artificial intelligence products marketed as ‘empathic partners’, ‘personal AI’, ‘co-pilots’, ‘assistants’, and related phrasing for ‘human-AI partnering’. Current and nascent domains of use include work, therapy, education, life coaching, legal problems, fitness, entertainment, and more.

These systems raise ethical questions that are global in nature, yet benefitting from diverse ethical approaches, especially where systems feed into the design of human-centered technologies. Some ethical questions are familiar (e.g. transparency, accountability, bias and fairness), but others are specific and unique, including psychological interactions and dependencies, child appropriateness, fiduciary issues, animism, and manipulation through partnerships with general-purpose artificial intelligence systems.

For info, contact IEEE P7014.1 Working Group Chair, Andrew McStay

For community, join/follow the LinkedIn P7014.1 group