The future of AI – a balance between technology and ethics

Artificial intelligence, AI, is becoming an increasingly important part of our lives. Virginia Dignum researches the impact of AI on a societal, ethical and legal level. 

Virginia Dignum is one of the world's leading researchers in a field that in recent years has become one of the biggest and most important global issues of the future.

New applications of AI present both opportunities and risks. When AI-based systems make decisions that directly affect users and communities, questions arise about their social, economic, political and ethical impact. Can machines make moral decisions and deal with moral dilemmas? What ethical principles should be included in the development of AI systems?

Tools to ensure compliance with ethical principles

Virginia Dignum's research explores how AI systems can be developed to meet social responsibility, so that decisions and results are reliable and relevant. This involves developing theories, models, and tools that can support developers in controlling system behavior, measuring social impact, and verifying that behaviors adhere to a set of ethical principles.

Virginia Dignum is actively involved in several national and international initiatives on guidelines for AI research and applications. Since 2023, she is a member of the United Nations Expert Body on AI, which advises on the governance of AI globally. 

“The goal is for elected officials and governments to understand their role and responsibility in the implementation of AI. We need to ensure that the strategies for AI that are developed are truly aligned with the vision for socially responsible AI,” she says.