Conditions of commitment to the Manifesto
- What is the aim of the manifesto?
- Who can sign the manifesto?
- What are the consequences if I sign?
- What happens if I don’t respect the commitments in the Manifesto?
- How can I remove my company’s name from the public list of signatories?
- How long will my company’s logo appear on the website?
- What will the Manifesto authors do after I sign?
- How can I contact the Manifesto authors?
- How are my personal data processed?
1. What is the aim of the manifesto?
Bringing unprecedented progress in all kinds of areas, AI is spreading through our daily lives. But this phenomenal expansion nevertheless raises the legitimate question of the trust we humans can put in these systems. To answer this question, the solutions developed must respect the fundamental rights defended, in particular, by France and the European Union.
To fulfil all its promise, AI therefore has to be ethical: this is one of the essential conditions if it is to bring all the benefits it promises to as many people as possible. But when it comes to putting the theory into practice, the task is not so easy. So it is with the same determination as they put into moving technology forward that AI specialists have mobilised to devise an operational framework for the creation and dissemination of ethical AI systems.
This is why Numeum has formed a network of partners from different AI worlds – academia, public authorities, companies, the voluntary sector and civil society. The numerous exchanges between them and the sharing of their experience have culminated in the creation of a practical guide that proposes a useful method for implementing the main ethical principles when designing, developing and deploying AI solutions.
The guide therefore constitutes a voluntary code of conduct for developing the trustworthy AI systems encouraged by the European Commission[1]. Thanks to the credibility of the partners backing the initiative, we believe it has the potential to become the accepted baseline in France and beyond.
This initiative to give AI tangible ethical credentials enhances our approach to developing a more accountable digital world. It constitutes a key step in the anticipation and preparation of compliance with the future general regulation on AI recently proposed by the European Commission.
[1] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/QANDA_21_1683
2. Who can sign the manifesto?
The signatory of the Manifesto must be a person acting in a capacity as legal representative of the Entity in question or a person empowered to sign on behalf of the Entity and to commit it.
3. What are the consequences if I sign?
By signing the Manifesto, you are committing:
- to implement the methodology and, whenever it is applicable, the recommendations in the Practical Guide to Ethical AI published by Numeum and co-constructed with representatives of the AI ecosystem in France;
- to value and promote the ethical dimension of the AI solutions that your organisation designs/and or deploys and/or administers and/or for which it provides training;
- to contribute to the improvement of the state of the art of AI ethics, in particular by having a representative of your organisation participate in revising and enhancing the aforementioned guide. This work will be based on the information shared by the members of the collective of signatories of the Manifesto, e.g. feedback, theoretical developments, etc.
This commitment is valid for one year from the date of signing. At the end of this period, signatories will be sent a questionnaire, which they undertake to complete in good faith, to gauge to what extent they have implemented their commitment. Subject to their compliance with the Manifesto and unless they specifically object, their commitment will then be renewed for another year.
By signing the Manifesto, you agree to your Entity’s logo appearing on Ethical AI website. For this purpose, the Manifest signatory grants Numeum a non-exclusive right to use, reproduce and publicly communicate its name, trademark and/or logo, for the whole world, on any media currently known or as yet unknown, and using any methods and processes of reproduction and public communication. These rights are granted for a term equal to the duration of the commitment to the Manifesto. They are granted solely for the purpose of posting the signatories’ logos on the Ethical AI website and communication materials. These communication materials will be posted on the Ethical AI and Numeum social media and websites. It should be noted that communication materials already posted will not be removed on the expiry of the commitment to the Manifesto. Numeum may not make any use of such materials that is not connected to the Manifesto without the express written permission of the signatory.
The signatory warrants that the logo and/or trademark do not infringe any third party’s rights. The Manifesto signatory will therefore hold harmless and defend Numeum from and against any proceedings, claims, demands or objections brought by any person invoking an intellectual property breach or an act of unfair competition and/or free-riding in connection with the posting of the logo and/or trademark on this website.
4. What happens if I don’t respect the commitments in the Manifesto?
Compliance with the commitments made on signing the Manifesto will be evaluated once a year by means of a questionnaire that will be sent to the signatories. If a signatory is not respecting the commitments of the Manifesto, an interview will be organised at which Numeum will explain the reasons why it is considering removing the Entity concerned from the list of signatories. After the interview and where the failure to comply with the commitments cannot be attributed to exceptional and/or specific circumstances, Numeum may decide to remove the Entity from the list of signatories. If removal is decided, it will be effective as of the date of when Numeum notifies the Entity by electronic mail, giving reasons, of its removal from the list of signatories.
If, subsequently, your Entity wishes to sign the Manifesto again, an interview will be organised, at which your Entity must provide proof of the measures taken to comply with the commitments in the Manifesto. After this interview, Numeum will decide whether your Entity can re-join the list of signatories and inform you of its decision, giving its reasons.
5. How can I remove my company’s name from the public list of signatories?
A Manifesto signatory can request the removal of their Entity from the list of signatories by sending an email explaining its request to vhueber@numeum.fr.
6. How long will my company’s logo appear on the website?
Your logo will be posted on the website dedicated to the initiative for as long as your Entity is committed to the Manifesto.
7. What actions will the Manifesto authors take after I sign?
The Ethical AI initiative will provide you with your free Practical Guide to Ethical AI drawn up by the partners in the initiative, who are experts in AI.
8. How can I contact the Manifesto authors?
You can contact the Manifesto authors at this email address: vhueber@numeum.fr.
9. How are my personal data processed?
To find out more about the processing of your personal data, go to the “Management of your personal data” section of the “Legal Notices” page on the Initiative website.
Want to contribute and make a commitment?
Whether you represent a company, an organisation that is part of the digital ecosystem or an organisation providing training in AI systems, you can formalise your commitment by signing the Manifesto for Ethical AI and in doing so access free resources such as the Practical Guide and workshops organised to exchange on the issues.
