Glossary
Updated
A structured assessment (akin to an environmental-impact study) that reviews intended use cases, affected stakeholders, data sources, potential biases, and downstream societal effects. It culminates in an action plan for risk mitigation, stakeholder consultations, and post-deployment monitoring. Ethics-IA is often mandated by governance frameworks and helps surface unintended harms.
Example
Before launching a predictive-policing AI, a municipality conducts an Ethical Impact Assessment: they engage community leaders, simulate deployment scenarios, identify risks of over-policing minority areas, and adapt the model’s risk thresholds and oversight protocols to protect civil liberties.