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Ethical Machines: Your Concise Guide to Totally Unbiased, Transparent, and Respectful AI

by Reid Blackman (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 63 ratings
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What will you do when your AI misbehaves?

The promise of artificial intelligence is automated decision-making at scale, but that means AI also automates risk at scale. Are you prepared for that risk?

Already, many companies have suffered real damage when their algorithms led to discriminatory, privacy-invading, and even deadly outcomes. Self-driving cars have hit pedestrians; HR algorithms have precluded women from job searches; mortgage systems have denied loans to qualified minorities. And often the companies who deployed the AI couldn't explain why the black box made the decision it did.

In this environment, AI ethics isn't merely an academic curiosity, it's a business necessity. In Ethical Machines, Reid Blackman gives you all you need to understand AI ethics as a risk management challenge. He'll help you build, procure, and deploy AI in a way that's not only ethical but also safe in terms of your organization's reputation, regulatory compliance, and legal standing—and do it at scale.

And don't worry—the book's purpose is to get work done, not to ponder deep and existential questions about ethics and technology. Blackman's clear and accessible writing helps make a complex and often misunderstood concept like ethics easy to grasp. Most importantly, Blackman makes ethics actionable by tackling the big three ethical risks with AI—bias, explainability, and privacy—and tells you what to do (and what not to do) to mitigate them.

With practical approaches to everything from writing a strong statement of AI ethics principles to creating teams that effectively evaluate ethical risks, Ethical Machines is the one guide you need to ensure your AI advances your company's objectives instead of undermining them.

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  1. ISBN-10
    1647822815
  2. ISBN-13
    978-1647822811
  3. Publisher
    Harvard Business Review Press
  4. Publication date
    July 12, 2022
  5. Language
    English
  6. Dimensions
    6.25 x 1 x 9.5 inches
  7. Print length
    224 pages
  8. See all details
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From the Publisher

What will you do when your AI misbehaves?

A must read for anyone embarking on a machine learning journey.

Outstanding at laying out how you should think about AI ethics and the steps you should take.

A fresh contribution to the complex challenge of putting AI ethics into practice.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Advance Praise for Ethical Machines:

"Finally! A book that demystifies how to responsibly manage AI and does it in an engaging, succinct, and practical way. This is a must-read for anyone embarking on a machine learning journey. Blackman is a true expert in AI ethics, and this book is an indispensable resource." — Siobhan Hanna, Managing Director, AI Data Solutions, TELUS International Artificial Intelligence

"An excellent read that turns a complex topic into understandable and actionable components. Business leaders need to understand that AI ethics isn't just hand-waving. It poses real risks to brand and profit. Fortunately, Blackman is outstanding at laying out how you should think about AI ethics and the steps you should take." — Joel Shapiro, Professor, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University

"Reid Blackman's new book, Ethical Machines, is a fresh contribution to the complex challenge of putting AI ethics into practice. Using vivid examples and accessible storytelling, Blackman introduces an actionable framework for comprehensive ethical risk management that will help companies avoid critical pitfalls as they incorporate AI into their products and processes." — Cara LaPointe, PhD, Codirector, Johns Hopkins Institute for Assured Autonomy; author, The Blockchain Ethical Design Framework

"Companies of all stripes are increasingly looking to use AI and hoping to build it ethically and responsibly. In this charming book, Reid Blackman provides practical guidance to turn these hopes into a reality." — David Danks, Professor, Data Science & Philosophy, University of California, San Diego

About the Author

Reid Blackman, PhD, is the founder and CEO of Virtue, where he works with companies to integrate ethical risk mitigation into the development, procurement, and deployment of emerging technology products. He sat on EY's AI Advisory Board, is a member of IEEE's Ethically Aligned Design Initiative, and volunteers as the Chief Ethics Officer for the non-profit Government Blockchain Association.

Blackman is a sought-after speaker on AI ethics. His work has been profiled in the Wall Street Journal, and he has contributed multiple pieces to Harvard Business Review, TechCrunch, VentureBeat, and other outlets.

Prior to founding Virtue, Blackman was a professor of philosophy at Colgate University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He also founded a fireworks wholesaling company and was once a flying trapeze instructor.

Connect with Reid Blackman at reidblackman.com and virtueconsultants.com or follow him on Twitter @reidblackman.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harvard Business Review Press (July 12, 2022)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1647822815
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1647822811
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 1 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 63 ratings

About the author

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Reid Blackman

Reid Blackman

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Reid Blackman, PhD, is the CEO and founder of Virtue, where he works with companies to integrate ethical risk mitigation into the development and deployment of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. Reid is also Senior Advisor to the Deloitte AI Institute, was a founding member of Ernst & Young’s Artificial Intelligence Advisory Board, and volunteers time to the nonprofit Government Blockchain Association, where he is the Chief Ethics Officer.

Prior to founding Virtue, Reid was a professor of philosophy at Colgate University and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He also founded a fireworks wholesaling company and was a flying trapeze instructor. He received his BA from Cornell University, his MA from Northwestern University, and his PhD from The University of Texas, Austin.

He has contributed to Harvard Business Review and TechCrunch, his work was profiled in the Wall Street Journal, and he speaks at events and businesses around the world.

For more information, visit reidblackman.com

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
63 global ratings
The practical book on AI Ethics
5 Stars
The practical book on AI Ethics
I recently read "Ethical Machines" by Reid Blackman and was thoroughly impressed by the thought-provoking ideas presented in the book. So much so that after I listened to it on Audible I also got the Kindle version.Blackman does an excellent job of exploring the ethical implications of artificial intelligence and the role it will play in our society in the future. He offers a balanced perspective, considering both the potential benefits and drawbacks of AI, and provides well-reasoned arguments for his points.One of the things I appreciated most about the book was Blackman's practical framework of approaching AI Ethics at an organisational level. Overall, I would highly recommend "Ethical Machines" to anyone that's serious about building an AI Ethics program, committee or group at the company level (startup or corporate). I can guarantee that in the process you'll be exploring Ethical Machines again and again because this topics has the tendency of sparking interesting conversations at any level in the company, especially among executives - which of course Reid has the right answers for.
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Top reviews from the United States

Jules
5.0 out of 5 stars Both realistic and understandable
Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2022
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This book is not an "If your model does x, test for y. Now your model is ethical." type of book.

The value of this book is instead in how it deconstructs what it means to be ethical in the context of machine learning, why it's important to be so, and how to put structures in place to catch and neutralize as much ethical risk as possible. And, perhaps more importantly, it's super accessible to people without a background in computer science. There is no code in this book, and little to no prerequisite knowledge required (you should probably know that AI exists, but that's about it).

The author is refreshingly realistic about things like privacy and the realities of measuring bias, but he is perhaps most skilled in constructing frameworks in which you can find yourself (or your organization) and understand the next steps to take to improve.

I work in tech, but I've been recommending this book to all of my non-technical friends and coworkers too. It's a great read if you work in and around AI/ML in any capacity, or if you're interested in ethics and are looking to get a better grasp on all of this nebulous technology.
2 people found this helpful
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Blake Benzel
4.0 out of 5 stars Good read, for the most part
Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2023
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This book was thought provoking, and it was interesting to read about this topic from a philosopher. I took issue with a couple of the statements (mainly the repeated assertion that technical folks and engineers, etc., "don't understand ethics" so you need managers and lawyers to do that... couldn't disagree more, but i don't think that's a deal breaker for this book), and the abbreviation of "algorithm" to just "algo" (anyone actually say "algo"?) lost points just as a personal pet peeve. I did like the book overall, though, and I'm glad I read it.
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Ciprian Borodescu
5.0 out of 5 stars The practical book on AI Ethics
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2022
Verified Purchase
I recently read "Ethical Machines" by Reid Blackman and was thoroughly impressed by the thought-provoking ideas presented in the book. So much so that after I listened to it on Audible I also got the Kindle version.

Blackman does an excellent job of exploring the ethical implications of artificial intelligence and the role it will play in our society in the future. He offers a balanced perspective, considering both the potential benefits and drawbacks of AI, and provides well-reasoned arguments for his points.

One of the things I appreciated most about the book was Blackman's practical framework of approaching AI Ethics at an organisational level. Overall, I would highly recommend "Ethical Machines" to anyone that's serious about building an AI Ethics program, committee or group at the company level (startup or corporate). I can guarantee that in the process you'll be exploring Ethical Machines again and again because this topics has the tendency of sparking interesting conversations at any level in the company, especially among executives - which of course Reid has the right answers for.
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Ciprian Borodescu
5.0 out of 5 stars The practical book on AI Ethics
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2022
I recently read "Ethical Machines" by Reid Blackman and was thoroughly impressed by the thought-provoking ideas presented in the book. So much so that after I listened to it on Audible I also got the Kindle version.

Blackman does an excellent job of exploring the ethical implications of artificial intelligence and the role it will play in our society in the future. He offers a balanced perspective, considering both the potential benefits and drawbacks of AI, and provides well-reasoned arguments for his points.

One of the things I appreciated most about the book was Blackman's practical framework of approaching AI Ethics at an organisational level. Overall, I would highly recommend "Ethical Machines" to anyone that's serious about building an AI Ethics program, committee or group at the company level (startup or corporate). I can guarantee that in the process you'll be exploring Ethical Machines again and again because this topics has the tendency of sparking interesting conversations at any level in the company, especially among executives - which of course Reid has the right answers for.
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One person found this helpful
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Knowledge Worker
5.0 out of 5 stars Applied Ethics! - information you can use in under 190 pages!
Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2022
Verified Purchase
I have no patience for philosophy and ethics books. Unless they throw in a torrid sex scene every four to six pages my eyes glaze over and simply go through the motions of moving from left the right until I need my next social media fix. But Reid Blackman has accomplished something remarkable. He has written an applied ethics book that is a fun fast read. He lays out how you construct an ethics overlay to your entire organization. How the ethics overlay runs. How it tackles new issues as they arise. He explains how you separate Structure – what to do and how to do it – from Content – the bottomless list of ethical risks and how they arise. He discusses how you can treat ethics like Case Law. How you set precedent and either build on it or evolve it in a structured and explainable way. Most importantly, he does it effectively in 190 pages. I finished reading this book. Every page. If you care about understanding the emerging ethical landscape of AI, I recommend reading this book.
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Knowledge Worker
5.0 out of 5 stars Applied Ethics! - information you can use in under 190 pages!
Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2022
I have no patience for philosophy and ethics books. Unless they throw in a torrid sex scene every four to six pages my eyes glaze over and simply go through the motions of moving from left the right until I need my next social media fix. But Reid Blackman has accomplished something remarkable. He has written an applied ethics book that is a fun fast read. He lays out how you construct an ethics overlay to your entire organization. How the ethics overlay runs. How it tackles new issues as they arise. He explains how you separate Structure – what to do and how to do it – from Content – the bottomless list of ethical risks and how they arise. He discusses how you can treat ethics like Case Law. How you set precedent and either build on it or evolve it in a structured and explainable way. Most importantly, he does it effectively in 190 pages. I finished reading this book. Every page. If you care about understanding the emerging ethical landscape of AI, I recommend reading this book.
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2 people found this helpful
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Pierre
5.0 out of 5 stars A Necessary Read for Anyone Working in AI
Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2022
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What do you get if you give a PhD the ability to cut through the weeds of rhetoric and speak honestly and in understandable terms about the complex topic of ethics and artificial intelligence? You get Reid Blackman (and thank goodness 🙏🏼).

This book is well written, informative, calls leaders to action in implementing ethics programs, and provides actionable frameworks for doing so. I have already purchased copies for my colleagues and highly recommend it to anyone working in AI today and especially anyone who considers themselves a leader in the field.
3 people found this helpful
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Annarella
4.0 out of 5 stars Recommended
Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2022
I recently read a lot about ethic and AI. There's a lot to discuss as it's a complex and highly conceptual field.
This book helps to clarify some point and it's easy to follow and full of food for thought.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A great guide to mitigating the ethical issues raised by AI
Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2022
Verified Purchase
There's a lot of books that discuss the ethical issues raised by AI systems; seldom do those books go into how to actually make AI better, and if they do, it's usually a few paragraphs in passing. This is a whole book filled with step-by-step guidelines for addressing those ethical wrongs that AI can commit. Written to be accessible and insightful regardless of technical or ethical background, I think this is necessary reading for anyone who is thinking of implementing some kind of responsible AI structures in their organization.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A great guide to mitigating the ethical issues raised by AI
Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2022
There's a lot of books that discuss the ethical issues raised by AI systems; seldom do those books go into how to actually make AI better, and if they do, it's usually a few paragraphs in passing. This is a whole book filled with step-by-step guidelines for addressing those ethical wrongs that AI can commit. Written to be accessible and insightful regardless of technical or ethical background, I think this is necessary reading for anyone who is thinking of implementing some kind of responsible AI structures in their organization.
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One person found this helpful
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DataGuy
5.0 out of 5 stars The most helpful thing I've read for understanding AI ethics and putting it into practice
Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2022
Verified Purchase
I read this book on the recommendation of a colleague. I was skeptical, having seen a lot of fluff on this topic, but Blackman's book reframed the field for me. The explanations of the issues are clear and concise. Even better, there is a steady focus on understanding what needs to be done and why. Now I'm the one recommending it to my colleagues.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Marco Ivan Escotto Arroyo
5.0 out of 5 stars Libro muy recomendable para entender la ética en IA
Reviewed in Mexico on February 8, 2023
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Explica de una manera sencilla los problemas éticos derivados de la IA. Diversos ejemplos y manera pedagógica de explicar los temas. Muy recomendable.
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Adarsh Srivastava
5.0 out of 5 stars It changed my perspective on AI Ethics
Reviewed in India on January 25, 2023
Verified Purchase
As an Engineer, my brain is heavily wired to solve problems at the ground level.

Working on the topic of AI ethics for more than 3 years now, I always kept looking for avenues to solve this problem from the ground up…

Fortunately, I stumbled across this awesome book - “Ethical machines” by Reid Blackman, Ph.D.

I was naturally attracted to it. I ordered the book right away and
boy O' boy, what a great pleasure it was to read it. I took some time reading the book as it me so many things to process.

I will not go into detail, but probably tell why this book is unique and a must-read for everyone who is into this crusade of making our society ready for ethical machines.

In general books on AI ethics, tries to explain what it is and explain the concepts in detail. However, Reid Blackman, Ph.D. wrote "Ethical machines" not to explain AI ethics as a topic but how to perceive it as an organization-level problem and possible paths to solve it. This is what makes this book so great.

I actually picked up the idea and started formulating my strategy around a top-down approach.
Customer image
Adarsh Srivastava
5.0 out of 5 stars It changed my perspective on AI Ethics
Reviewed in India on January 25, 2023
As an Engineer, my brain is heavily wired to solve problems at the ground level.

Working on the topic of AI ethics for more than 3 years now, I always kept looking for avenues to solve this problem from the ground up…

Fortunately, I stumbled across this awesome book - “Ethical machines” by Reid Blackman, Ph.D.

I was naturally attracted to it. I ordered the book right away and
boy O' boy, what a great pleasure it was to read it. I took some time reading the book as it me so many things to process.

I will not go into detail, but probably tell why this book is unique and a must-read for everyone who is into this crusade of making our society ready for ethical machines.

In general books on AI ethics, tries to explain what it is and explain the concepts in detail. However, Reid Blackman, Ph.D. wrote "Ethical machines" not to explain AI ethics as a topic but how to perceive it as an organization-level problem and possible paths to solve it. This is what makes this book so great.

I actually picked up the idea and started formulating my strategy around a top-down approach.
Images in this review
Customer image
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PEH
5.0 out of 5 stars Hands-on. Not fluffy.
Reviewed in Germany on October 19, 2022
Verified Purchase
Great book to get started on the practical side of things when considering ethics in the context of AI systems. Spoiler alert: You will not get bombarded with ethical theories.
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Hannah Evans
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for anyone involved in building/procuring AI/ML!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 24, 2022
Verified Purchase
I finished reading Ethical Machines by Reid Blackman, Ph.D. at the weekend and I would 💯 recommend - one for your reading lists! 📚

This book is not only a wonderfully practical and super-accessible guide about how (and importantly how not) to implement ethical AI/ML, but also offers guidance on the value of ethical inquiry in a more general sense; about how to create an organisation that takes ethical standards seriously.

Whether you are a business leader, product manager, data scientist, engineer, ethicist, <insert any other job title> - if you are (contemplating) building or procuring AI/ML or consuming the outputs of AI/ML, I highly recommend giving this book a read!
One person found this helpful
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Billy
5.0 out of 5 stars An ethics book, with AI focus
Reviewed in Australia on April 17, 2024
Verified Purchase
When initially exploring the realm of responsible AI there are many perspectives often grounded in common ideas such as minimising harm, promoting transparency and ensuring equity. These recurrent ideas are often paired with very specific takes on how to achieve the outcome. This book however walks through high level fundamentals of ethics and provides the reader with a better framework and system that applies beyond AI into every aspect of a technological program. Filled with useful strategies and examples, this is my number 1 recommendation for anyone interested in branching into AI ethics, and has rekindled my interest into Ethics as a broader topic.
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