Responsible artificial intelligence?

Abstract Although the phrase “responsible AI” is widely used in the AI industry, its meaning remains unclear. One can make sense of it indirectly, insofar as various notions of responsibility unproblematically attach to those involved in the creation and operation of AI technologies. It is less clear, however, whether the phrase makes sense when understood directly, that is, as the ascription of some sort of responsibility to AI systems themselves. This paper argues in the affirmative, drawing on a philosophically undemanding notion of role responsibility, and highlights the main consequences of this proposal for AI ethics.