Making a Business Case for Ethical AI

Author:

Dawn McAra-Hunter, Scottish AI Alliance

Type of Resource:

Guide

Area:

AI Fundamentals

Description:

Since 2021, Scotland’s AI strategy has made it clear that Scotland means business when it comes to AI. The past four years have seen great leaps forward, both in the delivery of the strategy and in the global AI landscape. However, the progress made in the development and adoption of AI had underpinned the need for trustworthy, ethical, and inclusive implementation practices across the AI design, development, and deployment.

Done well, AI can improve services, reduce costs, and unlock innovation. Done poorly, it can cause harm, trigger regulatory action, and erode trust. This guide helps you make a clear, practical business case for ethical and responsible AI. It explains why ethics is not an optional extra, but a strategic choice that reduces risk, builds trust and creates competitive advantage. It shows how to embed ethical principles into your AI initiatives and how to communicate the economic, compliance, reputational and strategic benefits to decision-makers.

Who is this guide is for?

This guide is for leaders, managers and teams across businesses and third sectors who:

• Need to justify investment in responsible AI.

• Want practical steps to embed ethics into AI projects.

• Are looking for examples, frameworks and tools to get started.