Panelist Laura Haaber Ihle

Laura Haaber Ihle

Northeastern University

United States

Laura Haaber Ihle is an associate researcher in the philosophy department at Harvard University and an AI ethicist/research scientist at the Institute for Experimental AI at Northeastern University. Her work focuses on the epistemic implications of emerging technologies, as well as developing responsible AI frameworks and tools for ethically sound design, development, and implementation of AI. Her research experience includes designing training modules for AI practitioners, developing governance structures for responsible AI, and examining the theoretical foundations of the field. Ihle has previously worked with the AI Ethics Lab and as an industry consultant on responsible AI. She has a doctorate in philosophy, economy, and political science.

Voting History

Statement	Response
Companies should be required to make disclosures about the use of AI in their products and offerings to customers. Agree	“As with most aspects of the use of AI, a generic yes-or-no answer to how it should and should not be used is rarely the most useful way forward. The same goes for whether companies should be required to disclose the use of AI in any and all circumstances; AI is far too broad, in both concept and use, to warrant a simple answer to that question. If a company is using AI to prioritize its internal emails, point employees to free parking spaces, or produce slides, then such disclosure would seem unnecessary. If, on the other hand, it is using predictive AI to profile and categorize customers and make decisions about them, then the customers — and all other affected stakeholders — should be made aware of this because the AI system has either a direct or an indirect impact on them. Rather than saying anything general about whether disclosure should be mandatory, this question again leads us back to the fact that ethics around AI requires a nuanced and methodical approach that allows us to make well-founded decisions in each use case, based on established ethical theory rather than on individual gut feelings about what is right and wrong.”

Statement

Response

Companies should be required to make disclosures about the use of AI in their products and offerings to customers. Agree

“As with most aspects of the use of AI, a generic yes-or-no answer to how it should and should not be used is rarely the most useful way forward. The same goes for whether companies should be required to disclose the use of AI in any and all circumstances; AI is far too broad, in both concept and use, to warrant a simple answer to that question. If a company is using AI to prioritize its internal emails, point employees to free parking spaces, or produce slides, then such disclosure would seem unnecessary. If, on the other hand, it is using predictive AI to profile and categorize customers and make decisions about them, then the customers — and all other affected stakeholders — should be made aware of this because the AI system has either a direct or an indirect impact on them. Rather than saying anything general about whether disclosure should be mandatory, this question again leads us back to the fact that ethics around AI requires a nuanced and methodical approach that allows us to make well-founded decisions in each use case, based on established ethical theory rather than on individual gut feelings about what is right and wrong.”