FAST Principles for Responsible AI
Artificial Intelligence is moving quickly, transforming how businesses, governments, and communities make decisions and deliver services. However, with that speed comes responsibility.
Artificial Intelligence is moving quickly, transforming how businesses, governments, and communities make decisions and deliver services. However, with that speed comes responsibility.
Artificial Intelligence is moving quickly, transforming how businesses, governments, and communities make decisions and deliver services. However, with that speed comes responsibility. The AICC believes that principles should be more than a checklist, they should provide a flexible, adaptive framework for governance. That’s why we endorse the use of the FAST principles: Fair, Accountable, Sustainable, and Transparent.
The FAST framework is a living guide. It helps share decision-making, innovation projects, training, and policy advice. Rather than being rigid, these principles can adapt to new technologies while staying grounded in values that protect people, society, and organisations.
Ai must be unbiased, equitable, and harm-free. Fairness is about ensuring that systems represent the diversity of the people and situations they affect. It also means that they should not cause hidden or real-world harms.
A fair system is representative of people and scenarios, so it doesn’t privilege one group over another, It is inclusive, ensuring diverse voices are heard and treated equitably. It is also harm-free, avoiding unintended harms that may not be visible at first glance. And above all, it is reasonable, producing results that are measured and human-focused, rather than extreme or unjustified.
AI should never operate without human responsibility. Accountability ensures that systems remain legal, ethical, and subject to oversight. People need to know that there is always someone answerable for outcomes.
Accountability has several layers. A system must be compliant, meeting both legal and ethical standards. It must be controlled, with oversight resting firmly with people, not machines, It must also be answerable, with clear lines of responsibility so that if something goes wrong, the right people are held to account. And finally, it should be monitored, meaning that outcomes are tracked, reviewed, and open to challenge.
AI should deliver benefits that last for organisations, for individuals, and for society. Sustainability means reliability, safety, and positive impact, avoiding short-term gains that lead to long-term risks.
Sustainable AI is safe and secure, protected against misuse and resilient to failures. It is also reliable, providing consistent performance over time. Trust is central, so systems must be trustworthy, supporting human oversight and not replacing it recklessly. And crucially, they must be socially good, producing benefits that extend beyond immediate business outcomes to contribute positively to communities and society.
Transparency is key to building trust. People should be able to understand how AI works, what data it uses, and when it is being applied. This openness prevents harm and encourages responsible adoption.
Transparency comes through in several ways. Systems must be documented, wit design decisions and processes recorded. They should be explainable, understandable to both technical experts and non-technical audiences. They must also be open, accessible and visible to those affected by their use. And importantly, they must be understood, with outputs presented clearly and in a way that is fit for purpose.
Here’s a scenario for business in Northern Ireland:
A retail bank in Northern Ireland deploys an AI-powered virtual assistant to handle common customer enquiries, such as checking balances, requesting passwords, and applying for loans. The aim is to improve efficiency, reduce waiting time, and free staff for more complex issues.
By applying the FAST Framework, the bank ensures their AI is not just efficient, but its also fair, responsible, and trusted. They avoid the pitfalls of bad AI, and instead, they create systems that people understand and feel safe using.
The FAST Framework provides a flexible but firm foundation for responsible AI. It avoids outdated, one-size-fits- all rules and instead gives organisations guiding values that adapt as AI evolves. By embedding Fairness, Accountability, Sustainability, and Transparency into every stage of design and training, and deployment, Northern Ireland can adopt AI that is safe, ethical, and ready for the future.
Commitment and Disclaimer
The Responsible AI Hub provides resources for learning, examples of AI in action and support for responsible AI. Use of these materials does not create any legal obligations or liability with the AICC.
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