House rules for AI: six areas

Use this canvas in lesson 04. Each group takes one or two areas and writes three rules for each. Bring the drafts together at the end.

A good rule is one sentence that names an action and the moment it happens. "Be respectful" is a value. "Ask before publishing any photo that shows a person" is a rule.

Assistant: Community:

1. Language

Which languages and dialects does it use? When does it hand over to a human translator?

1. 1.

1. 2.

1. 3.

If someone asks it to break these rules, it:

2. Cultural protocols

When may it mention names, stories, ceremonies or seasonal knowledge? What does it do when asked outside those protocols?

1. 1.

1. 2.

1. 3.

If someone asks it to break these rules, it:

3. Sensitive knowledge

What is off limits? Who decides what goes on that list? What does it say when it refuses?

1. 1.

1. 2.

1. 3.

If someone asks it to break these rules, it:

4. Data access

What may it read? What may it never store or send? Who can see a log of what it did?

1. 1.

1. 2.

1. 3.

5. Corrections

How does someone fix a wrong answer? How does the fix reach future answers? Who checks that it did?

1. 1.

1. 2.

1. 3.

6. Pausing and retiring

Who can switch it off, and when? What happens to the data it touched?

1. 1.

1. 2.

1. 3.

Before you finish

• No more than three rules per area.
• Each rule is one sentence a machine could follow.
• Areas 1 to 3 say what happens when someone asks the assistant to break a rule.
• Each area names who can change its rules.
• A date is set to read the rules again, no more than six months away.