iRights.Lab publishes practical guide to algorithm design
The Algo.Rules were developed in a large participation process with over 400 participants*: nine principles for the ethical design of algorithmic systems. With the practical guide, there is now a manual that operationalises the Algo.Rules and offers concrete support for developers and their managers.
Algorithmic systems support numerous decisions in everyday life, prepare them or carry them out completely. More and more they are also used in areas with a direct influence on people’s lives. Therefore it is even more important that these systems are designed ethically and contribute to the well-being of society. Many developers* and their managers are convinced that the technologies have a positive creative power. However, they lack the practical help they need to implement the relevant guidelines in order to unleash this power.
This is why we now present the practical guide for developers* and managers, which helps to integrate the Algo.rules into their work practice.
The concrete application depends on the individual case, i.e. on questions like: Who builds which system with which goal and with which resources for which use? The guide therefore does not provide the one correct implementation path, but rather puts together a number of important practical aids.
The first step is to determine whether the Algo.rules are relevant for a system. The stronger the possible influence of an algorithmic system on people’s lives or society, the more thoroughly the implementation of the Algo.rules must be examined.
For each rule, the guideline offers not only a concretization for a better understanding and success factors for the implementation, but also checklists with orientation questions for measures in IT and software companies.
You can download the practical guide here (German).
More information about the Algo.rules can be found here or at www.algorules.org.
The Bertelsmann Stiftung is implementing the Algo.Rules project in cooperation with the iRights.Lab.