Chaired by Stéphane Richard, Orange’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, the role of the Data and AI Ethics Council is to support the company’s implementation of ethical principles governing the use of data and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.
In particular, the Council will draw up ethics guidelines for the responsible use of data and AI at Orange, and monitor its implementation within the Group’s entities. People outside the company, customer representatives, or Orange employees may study concrete scenarios involving the ethical use of data and AI and put forward recommendations that will be submitted to Orange’s Executive Committee for approval. It will also issue prospective opinions on the use of data and AI technologies within the Group.
The Council will be involved in a large variety of topics such as ensuring that AI-based systems developed by the Group have incorporated the principles of non-discrimination and equality in their design. More so, these should not run the risk of invading privacy when they analyze network data to detect the causes of a failure in the video over fiber service.
Orange’s Data and AI Ethics Council is made up of 11 members, selected for their independence and neutrality, their expertise on these topics, and the diversity of their backgrounds: ethics specialists, lawyers, philosophers, researchers and professionals from public bodies, academic circles, and the public and private economic sectors.
The creation of the Data and AI Ethics Council is another illustration of Orange’s desire to strengthen its bond of trust with its customers, employees and stakeholders, in connection with its official “purpose”.
The Group has been working on the topic of ethical and responsible AI for several years. In line with this, it is conducting a research program to contribute to the responsible development, use, and governance of human-focused AI systems.
In 2020, it obtained the Gender Equality Diversity European & International Standard - AI (GEEIS-AI) label as a reward for its initiatives in promoting diversity and avoiding the risks of discrimination in AI-based systems.
