Scientific research organizations that are developing and deploying Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems are at the intersection of technological progress and ethical considerations. The push for Responsible AI (RAI) in such institutions underscores the increasing emphasis on integrating ethical considerations within AI design and development, championing core values like fairness, accountability, and transparency. For scientific research organizations, prioritizing these practices is paramount not just for mitigating biases and ensuring inclusivity, but also for fostering trust in AI systems among both users and broader stakeholders. In this paper, we explore the practices at a research organization concerning RAI practices, aiming to assess the awareness and preparedness regarding the ethical risks inherent in AI design and development. We have adopted a mixed-method research approach, utilising a comprehensive survey combined with follow-up in-depth interviews with selected participants from AI-related projects. Our results have revealed certain knowledge gaps concerning ethical, responsible, and inclusive AI, with limitations in awareness of the available AI ethics frameworks. This revealed an overarching underestimation of the ethical risks that AI technologies can present, especially when implemented without proper guidelines and governance. Our findings reveal the need for a holistic and multi-tiered strategy to uplift capabilities and better support science research teams for responsible, ethical, and inclusive AI development and deployment.

本文研究了科学研究机构在负责人工智能设计和开发中的道德风险意识和准备情况，揭示了知识缺口和对可用人工智能伦理框架的意识有限。我们的研究结果显示，在没有适当的指导和管理下实施人工智能技术可能会带来潜在的道德风险，因此需要全面的策略来提高团队能力，支持负责、道德和包容的人工智能开发和部署。

探索科学研究的负责任人工智能：一项实证研究