Microsoft is at the forefront of the AI revolution, with a new initiative that is set to guide businesses towards the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI). The tech giant unveiled its three AI Customer Commitments, ensuring that its customers can optimally leverage AI to drive innovation, increase productivity, and solve critical problems for humanity.
Responsible AI – The New Norm
While AI continues to provide unparalleled opportunities for businesses of all sizes across various industries, concerns surrounding the responsible use of this powerful technology are growing. Governments worldwide are considering how existing laws and regulations can apply to AI and what new legal frameworks may be required.
Recognizing this need, Microsoft is committed to sharing their knowledge and experience to help their customers navigate the ethical landscape surrounding AI. They believe that every organization creating or using AI systems must develop and implement its own governance systems, ensuring the right guardrails for responsible AI use.
The Three Commitments
1. Sharing Expertise
Microsoft, since 2017, has been on a responsible AI journey, harnessing the skills of nearly 350 engineers, lawyers, and policy experts to develop a robust governance process. This process guides the design, development, and deployment of AI in safe, secure, and transparent ways.
Through their first commitment, Microsoft pledges to share this knowledge with their customers. The company aims to provide key documents they have developed over the years, training curriculum, and dedicated resources and expertise in regions worldwide, helping organizations understand and implement their responsible AI approach.
2. AI Assurance Program
Microsoft’s second commitment focuses on the creation of an AI Assurance Program. This initiative aims to help organizations ensure that the AI applications deployed on Microsoft platforms meet all legal and regulatory requirements for responsible AI.
Key elements of the program include regulator engagement support, risk framework implementation, customer councils, and active regulatory advocacy. This approach is built upon Microsoft’s extensive experience in managing regulatory issues in the public sector and highly regulated industries.
3. Implementation Support
In the third commitment, Microsoft will support customers as they implement their own responsible AI systems. A dedicated team of AI legal and regulatory experts will be created in regions across the world to support customers’ implementation of responsible AI governance systems.
Furthermore, Microsoft is launching a program with selected partners to assist mutual customers in deploying their own responsible AI systems. The program is kick-started with PwC and EY as launch partners, leveraging their expertise to help customers evaluate, test, adopt, and commercialize AI solutions.
The AI Customer Commitments are a groundbreaking step in the right direction for the responsible use and governance of AI, placing Microsoft at the forefront of this revolution. As technology and regulatory conditions evolve, Microsoft recognizes the need to build upon these commitments, expressing excitement in partnering more closely with customers in their responsible AI journey.
