World Economic Forum releases blueprint for equitable and inclusive AI; report proposes best practices for each step within AI development, but also gives a holistic approach that connects each stage to benefit the broader ecosystem

Sample article from our Sustainability & Social Responsibility

SAN FRANCISCO , July 20, 2022 (press release) –

Safaa Khan, World Economic Forum, safaa.khan@weforum.org

  • The number of initiatives advancing equity and inclusion has increased substantially over the past decades.
  • Technology companies have an added complexity for equity and inclusion challenges unique to the design, development, deployment and use of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI).
  • This report paints a comprehensive picture of challenges and opportunities for improvements in equity and inclusion across the AI development life cycle and governance ecosystem.
  • Read the framework here

The World Economic Forum published “A Blueprint for Equity and Inclusion in AI” to identify challenges and solutions for equity and inclusion across each phase of the AI technical life cycle and its governance ecosystem. The report proposes best practices for each step within AI development, but also gives a holistic approach that connects each stage to benefit the broader ecosystem.

“Bias in AI is a real concern,” said Kay Firth-Butterfield, Head of the AI and Machine Learning Platform at the World Economic Forum. “Over the course of 10 months, the diverse group that makes up the Global Future Council on Artificial Intelligence for Humanity mapped the vast number of bias-related risks in the AI lifecycle and developed a blueprint that sets the foundation for what it means to have an inclusive AI ecosystem. Building on AI ethics, this blueprint connects the dots where they previously have not been connected.”

The blueprint is the result of a collaborative effort of members of the World Economic Forum Global Future Council (GFC) on Artificial Intelligence for Humanity and includes input from interviews held with people of diverse backgrounds and representatives of institutions in the AI diversity, equity and inclusion ecosystem. "This unique report, created by a global community of leaders, provides a lens into a more inclusive AI ecosystem. Collectively, we created a roadmap with actionable items to develop more equitable AI impacting all communities,” said Susan Gonzales, Founder & CEO, AIandYou.

The lack of inclusive AI has proven harmful to businesses (leading to financial or reputational harms) and certain communities, in particular ethnic, cultural, linguistic, ideological, and generational minorities. Therefore, the blueprint underlines the importance of adopting equity and inclusion strategies for AI through its pre-integrated AI ethics approach. “For Māori, including different skills, backgrounds, thinking and values at any decision-making table is the only way to harness power for a sustainable, collective ‘good’, to better ensure a representative, responsible world, let alone an AI lifecycle. That is the evolution, not a revolution that is needed,” said Sara Stratton, Founder, Māori Lab

The blueprint aims to provide a better understanding of how equity and inclusion, by design, can be adopted at two levels: the ecosystem (broad) and the AI lifecycle (stages of technical development). “Inclusion is too often an afterthought in how we approach the visioning, design and implementation of new digital capabilities. The result? The work being driven by a small, privileged group and those without a stake in the process being left out of the benefits. This blueprint provides ways to counteract this trend in the domain of AI, where if acted upon could lead to an acceleration toward a more inclusive society at large,” said Nadjia Yousif, Managing Director and Partner, Boston Consulting Group.

The intended audience of the framework includes managers and teams responsible for the different stages of AI development, as well as decisionmakers from both the private and public sectors part of the AI ecosystem. "It is no longer enough to invite underrepresented communities to a table and label it inclusion, this blueprint demonstrates what is truly required to honour the word 'inclusion' and its significant meaning through how organisations can evolve community engagement from tick-boxing to transformative," said Julia Arnott-Neenee, Co-Founder and Director, PeopleForPeople_NZ.

The Blueprint for Equity and Inclusion in AI was developed by the GFC through monthly meetings of the council members, anonymous stakeholder interviews, and a workshop held with members of the World Economic Forum’s Global AI Action Alliance.

* All content is copyrighted by Industry Intelligence, or the original respective author or source. You may not recirculate, redistrubte or publish the analysis and presentation included in the service without Industry Intelligence's prior written consent. Please review our terms of use.

See our dashboard in action - schedule an demo
Jason Irving
Jason Irving
- SVP Enterprise Solutions -

We offer built-to-order sustainability & social responsibility coverage for our clients. Contact us for a free consultation.

About Us

We deliver market news & information relevant to your business.

We monitor all your market drivers.

We aggregate, curate, filter and map your specific needs.

We deliver the right information to the right person at the right time.

Our Contacts

1990 S Bundy Dr. Suite #380,
Los Angeles, CA 90025

+1 (310) 553 0008

About Cookies On This Site

We collect data, including through use of cookies and similar technology ("cookies") that enchance the online experience. By clicking "I agree", you agree to our cookies, agree to bound by our Terms of Use, and acknowledge our Privacy Policy. For more information on our data practices and how to exercise your privacy rights, please see our Privacy Policy.