Responsible AI is often discussed as if artificial intelligence is mainly a risk that needs to be controlled. In education, policy and organisations, the conversation usually starts from the same assumption: AI is dangerous, biased or unreliable, so we should be careful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But this misses a key question:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Is it sometimes irresponsible not to use AI?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n That question is rarely asked. And if we care about ethics, it should be central.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This week I learned about recent research from Maaike Harbers<\/a>, Marieke Peeters<\/a> Francien Dechesne \ud83d\udfe5<\/a> M. Birna van Riemsdijk \ud83d\udfe5<\/a> and Pascal Wiggers<\/a> into responsible use of AI in universities and universities of applied sciences<\/a>. Nice piece of work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It shows familiar patterns:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The recommendations make sense: better integration, shared resources, professional development, multidisciplinary perspectives, and clear governance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But underneath many of these discussions lies an unspoken assumption:<\/p>\n\n\n\n AI is a problem first, and an opportunity second.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n That framing deserves scrutiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ethics is not a checklist. It is not about applying fixed rules without thinking. Ethics is about weighing options, understanding context, and making choices you can explain and defend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And sometimes, the responsible choice is to act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Responsible choices do not automatically slow down innovation. In some cases, responsibility requires moving forward rather than holding back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many debates compare AI to an idealised version of human decision-making: fair, rational and unbiased. Reality looks very different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We know from decades of research that humans regularly discriminate in hiring and selection. Often unconsciously. Often inconsistently. Often without being able to explain their decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well-designed AI systems, on the other hand:<\/p>\n\n\n\n AI is not perfect. But pretending that humans are is not ethical either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A serious discussion about responsible AI asks different questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nWhat current research on Responsible AI focuses on<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nEthics is about making choices, not following rules<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nHumans are not neutral either<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nWhen using AI can be the responsible choice<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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