Ethics by design for artificial intelligence

Abstract In this paper, we present an approach for the systematic and comprehensive inclusion of ethical considerations in the design and development process of artificial intelligence systems, called Ethics by Design for AI (EbD-AI). The approach is the result of a three-year long research effort, and has recently be adopted by the European Commission as part of its ethics review procedure for AI projects. We describe and explain the approach and its different components and its application to the development of AI software and systems. We also compare it to other approaches in AI ethics, and we consider limitations of the approach as well as potential criticisms.