The requirements for SAP’s Global AI Ethics Policy have fundamentally changed since the document was last updated in 2021. While the policy previously only addressed a niche audience of SAP employees in development, AIThe advent of generative AI and enterprise AI has changed both the scope of policy as well as the number of interested stakeholders.
“Generative AI,” says Vikram Nagendra, chief sustainability officer at SAP, “has driven a growing interest in this policy. Almost every industry has been affected, business AI is now the centerpiece of our strategy, and today almost every employee is affected by AI, either as a designer or as a user.”
Now the latest version of the SAP Global AI Ethics Policy is consistent with the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI, covering generative AI and applicable to specific partner and third-party systems as well as all employees.
The UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI is the most comprehensive global framework available to shape the development and use of AI systems. Adopted by all 193 Member States, it includes 10 principles that protect and advance human rights, human dignity, the environment, transparency, accountability and respect for the law. “The fact that SAP has aligned its ethical principles with a globally accepted standard means that as long as SAP colleagues adhere to these principles when developing, deploying, using and selling AI, they can be truly confident that it is upheld to the highest ethical standards,” says Nagendra.
SAP’s Global AI Ethics Policy includes 10 guiding principles on AI ethics based on UNESCO principles, and each principle is defined in the context of AI at SAP. A brief section on governance, Nagendra explains, “shows that developers and teams are not alone and can rely on governance bodies and processes to properly manage issues.”
SAP Guiding Principles on AI Ethics
- Proportionality and do no harm
- Safety and security
- Equity and non-discrimination
- Sustainability
- Right to privacy and data protection
- Human surveillance and determination
- Transparency and explainability
- Responsibility and accountability
- Awareness and literacy
- Multi-stakeholder and adaptive governance and collaboration
Why SAP uses UNESCO recommendation?
The UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI is a set of internationally recognized values that go beyond current legislation and create ethical safeguards in the absence of national or global standards. For example, the value Equity and Non-Discrimination commits SAP not only to protecting equity, but also to promoting it and putting in place as many safeguards as possible to avoid discriminatory or biased outcomes.
SAP aligns with the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI because it:
SAP strengthens its commitment to human rights
The cornerstone of the UNESCO Recommendation on AI Ethics is the protection of human rights and human dignity. This is consistent with SAP’s commitment to respect and promote human rights across all business operations, the product lifecycle, and the extended value chain. Upholding this commitment is fundamental to SAP’s approach to AI ethics.
“UNESCO’s principle of proportionality and non-harm resonates with me because the power to affect the rights of individuals must match the responsibility to protect the human rights concerned.”
– Camila Lombana Diaz, AI Ethics Expert and Researcher, SAP
Increases trust with stakeholders, employees and customers
By basing SAP’s AI ethics on the UNESCO Recommendation on AI Ethics, SAP can align business opportunities with human rights considerations and serve as a role model for the ethical development, deployment, sale, and internal use of AI systems.
Strengthens SAP’s reputation as a responsible and socially conscious organization
The 10 guiding principles on AI ethics from SAP’s Global AI Ethics Policy form the basis of SAP’s AI Ethics Handbook. This handbook translates the principles into actionable elements and processes to guide the development and deployment of AI systems that benefit from human oversight and determination, are fair and non-discriminatory, and protect and promote sustainability and individual privacy. The principles of SAP’s Global AI Ethics Policy, combined with external guidance from the SAP AI Ethics Advisory Panel, internal guidance from the SAP Global AI Steering Committee, and the AI Ethics Handbook, provide transparency into how SAP delivers responsible AI.
“The UNESCO Sustainability Principle resonates with me because it underscores SAP’s commitment to sustainability and the need to assess and address the impacts of AI. – both positive and negative – “We must take them into account as a whole, in all their dimensions: human, social, cultural, economic and environmental.”
– Christine Susanne Mueller, Deputy Head of Human Rights, SAP
Supports risk mitigation
The UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI provides a robust and globally recognized framework to help ensure regulatory requirements for customer compliance with current and future AI-related regulations.
