Measurably Responsible AI

From Aristotle to Algorithms

At Booz Allen, we help agency leaders bridge the gap between Aristotle—the philosophical underpinnings of AI ethics—and algorithms, the operationalized AI applications that enable complex missions across the defense, national security, and civil sectors.

One key to realizing this modern approach to responsible AI is enabling decision makers to systematically measure the ethical risk of their AI systems. With a quantitative scorecard of their systems’ “ethical surface area,” they can more effectively capitalize on proven strategies to de-risk and recalibrate those systems. This will not only ensure their AI ecosystem is measurably responsible but will enhance the overall mission performance of their individual AI systems.

Our practical and quantitative approach to responsible AI accelerates agency progress from theoretical principles to concrete models and actions to enable the design and deployment of AI systems for any mission, in any sector.

A Practical, Quantitative Approach to Responsible AI

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Industry-first ethical risk framework and criteria for ethical test and evaluation
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Ethical X-ray of an AI system’s architecture
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Deployment-focused evaluation to increase mission success
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Actionable recommendations to reduce ethical risk
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Different assessment types and timelines for unique mission needs
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Validation that an AI system is safe to operate ethically

How an AI E/ATO Works

With an expanding suite of tools and solutions, including the Booz Allen Ethical Authority to Operate (AI/E ATO) Assessment, we provide agencies with a quantitative approach to operationalizing the responsible AI principles most relevant for their sector and mission.

1. Map the AI System’s Architecture:

First, an E/ATO decomposes an AI system into its architectural components and analyzes each one’s novel ethical risk. 

2. Identify the Strategic Vulnerabilities:

Second, it zooms out to provide a more strategic view of the external forces and interconnected systems that will influence the design and operation of the AI system.

3. Conduct Ethical Risk-Scoring:

Third, it quantifies these two dimensions using a custom Ethical Risk Framework that’s tied directly to the organization’s ethical principles. 

4. Stress-Test Its Ethical Robustness:

Finally, it provides a set of custom ethical test and evaluation (T&E) criteria to stress-test an AI system’s alignment to the organization’s ethical principles.

Outcome

A detailed mapping of your AI system’s ethical risk

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A holistic view of the sources, types, and factors driving that risk

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Quantifiable scorecard that turns your ethical principles into action-focused guidance

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Measurable, ethics-focused criteria to embed in your T&E plan

Driving Responsible Innovation with Quantitative Confidence

Regardless of the principles, policies, and compliance standards, Booz Allen helps agencies quantify the real-world human impact of their AI systems and put ethical principles into practice. This support makes it easy to build and deploy measurably responsible AI systems with confidence.

But it’s important to keep in mind that a best-in-class approach to responsible AI doesn’t stop with the identification of ethical risk, as critical as that is. That’s why Booz Allen helps agencies take the additional step of turning the work of ethical mitigation into an opportunity to make technical improvements to AI systems while bringing innovative insights that ultimately lead to new ideas for the design and use of AI systems.

Here's how: The rich insights we uncover during our ethical and compliance analysis provide a roadmap for designing and redesigning systems so that our clients can achieve their critical mission goals more effectively. It’s through the process of assessing and reducing ethical risks—especially in response to the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s AI Risk Management Framework—that we can help agencies capture these performance gains and seize opportunities to innovate in ways that eliminate other critical risks to mission success.

Mission-Focused Responsible AI

Meet our Experts

Reach out to us via the form below to learn more about how we can help your organization move from abstract ethical principles to practical mission transformation in the real world.