OCEANIS to address ethics in autonomous and intelligent systems

Standards can help reassure end users and can play an important role in alleviating concerns regarding ethics. There is a real need and opportunity for broad collaboration between all relevant national and international organisations to develop locally and globally applicable solutions that support technical, business and policy decisions.

Scott Steedman, Director of Standards at BSI comments: "Robotics and AI represent a huge global opportunity and one that will transform how organisations operate and how we live. Industry recognises that the risks associated with robotics and AI are no longer science fiction, and this is why we developed the first piece of practical guidance on the ethics of robotic technology, BS 8611.

"As this technology evolves, it is essential that expertise from individuals and organisations within the robotic, AI, manufacturing and engineering industries is shared for debate with safety experts, scientists, academics, consumers and ethicists. That way consensus can be reached on what good looks like when addressing the ethical hazards and ethical design implications of robotics and AI."

OCEANIS participants consent to:

• Share information and coordinate on respective initiatives and programmes
• Enhance understanding of the role of standards in facilitating innovation, and address problems that extend beyond technical solutions to addressing ethics and values
• Jointly organise events at local/regional/global level
• Identify opportunities for concerted activities that strengthen the development and use of standards in addressing technical, societal and ethical implications arising from technology advancement

The OCEANIS community is open to all interested organisations. In addition to BSI, founding members include:

• Austrian Electrotechnical Association (OVE)
• Austrian Standards International (A.S.I.)
• British Standards Institution (BSI)
• China Electronic Standardization Institute (CESI)
• Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standards Association (IEEE-SA)
• International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
• National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI)
• Servicio Ecuatoriano de Normalization (INEN)
• Turkish Standards Institute (TSE)
• Verband und Deutsche Kommission Elektrotechnik Elektronik Informationstechnik (VDE/DKE)

The OCEANIS community is open and not-for-profit. Follow the link for more information about the OCEANIS community.