MEPX
Chapter 4 of 10All chapters
  1. 1Two conversations
  2. 2Bias and fairness
  3. 3Transparency and explanation
  4. 4Accountability
  5. 5Harms happening now
  6. 6The alignment problem
  7. 7Misuse
  8. 8Long-term risk
  9. 9Regulation
  10. 10Working responsibly

Chapter 4 of 10

Accountability

Who answers for it.

The deployer

Responsibility sits with the organisation that put the system into use. The model is not an actor, and a supplier's terms do not transfer the duty to the people affected.

  • Regulators have been consistent that automation does not dilute responsibility.
  • Contracts allocate cost between companies; they do not remove obligations to individuals.

Human oversight

A reviewer needs time, context and real authority to overrule the system. Without those, oversight is a formality that provides legal cover rather than protection.