The tool is designed to help telcos adopt and measure responsible and ethical approaches to AI and 19 have already signed up
The GSMA has launched what it claims is the first industry-wide Responsible AI (RAI) Maturity Roadmap to provide telecoms operators with the tools and guidance to test and assess their responsible use of the technology.
While the move reflects that the new, third certainty beyond death and taxes is now responsible AI alliances/roadmaps/tools, the presence of 19 telcos in this initiative including the likes of Axiata, BT Group, Deutsche Telekom, Du UEA, E&, Globe, KPN, MTN, Orange, Singtel, stc, Telefónica, Telenor, Telia, Telstra, Turkcell, TIM, True, and Vodafone suggests this may have more legs than most – including even established initiatives like TMF’s moonshot. The GSMA Responsible AI Maturity Roadmap “champions” are Axiata, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefónica and Telstra.
Such a roadmap is timely given that, on the same day, Nokia launched its new data centre automation platform that “aims to reduce network disruptions and service downtime by driving human error in network operations to zero”. Seasoned telco watchers will also note the involvement of McKinsey in developing the “insights” for the roadmap. The consultants have gushed that the expanded impact of AI within the telecoms sector is estimated to be “as high as $680 billion over the next 15-20 years”. This value was apparently derived from the top 100 use cases that an MNO could implement.
Having been through a McKinsey “job-mapping” at a large telco, figures like that cause this author to reach for the side-eye emoji. Regardless, the GSMA said it is intent on uniting the industry in using the technology ethically and responsibly.
Assessing telco standings
The operators working in the group said the roadmap will allow telcos to assess where they currently stand in terms of their existing maturity in using AI responsibly against where they want to go, i.e. their ambitions and needs. It then provides “clear guidance and measurement tools” to help fulfil those ambitions, while “ensuring industry-wide best practice in the responsible use of the technology.”
There is no denying that AI will provide new business cases and revenue streams for operators. Early work by SK Telecom, Korea Telecom and LG Uplus is already demonstrating this. But there is also no denying that chunks of this AI impact will come from delivering more services with fewer people.
The GSMA said the development follows the “well-established commitments of many mobile network operators (MNOs) to ensure the exploration and integration of AI within their work has been and is done in ethical and responsible ways.” Following extensive industry consultation, the GSMA has taken these approaches and combined them with existing global regulations, recommendations and standards from international organisations including the OECD, and the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI to create a roadmap for the whole industry to align on the use of RAI.
Some large operators, including the Chinese operators, are conspicuous by their absence in the GSMA initiative as well. Last week, Reuters reported about 60 countries including the United States endorsed a “blueprint for action” to govern responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the military on Tuesday, but China was among those which did not support the legally non-binding document.
Hopefully the omission will be rectified as the initiative gathers steam, but the AI sector is already showing early signs of following the path of the semiconductor sector – which all contribute to technology splinternets.
Best-practice principles
The RAI Maturity Roadmap is underpinned by five core underlying dimensions: the vision, values and strategic goals of an organisation; its operating model and how to maintain AI governance across all operations; technical controls aligned with regulatory requirements; collaboration with third-party ecosystems; as well as corporate change management and communication strategies.
For each of these dimensions, the roadmap will guide organisations to take the appropriate steps to use AI responsibly relative to their level of maturity. The GSMA said also builds on well-established best-practice principles, including: fairness; human agency and oversight; privacy and security; safety and robustness; transparency; accountability; and environmental impact.
“The transformative potential of AI has long been apparent but its integration in our work and our lives must be done in a responsible and transparent way for it to be truly effective and sustainable,” said GSMA director general Mats Granryd. “This roadmap will now empower more MNOs to embrace AI in the knowledge they, in line with the whole sector, are doing so responsibly and ethically.”
“Responsible AI is the right way to explore and unlock the many opportunities the technology presents, and the telecoms industry is proud to lead the way as the first sector to commit to this approach – we hope others will follow our example,” he added.
“The speed with which AI has now become a central part of tech and telecoms operations demonstrates its power and undoubted value, but also the risks we must consider as an industry and the need to include ethics at the heart of AI to prevent its uncontrolled development,” said GSMA board chair and chairman and CEO of Telefónica José María Álvarez-Pallete López. “It is crucial for us all to ensure responsible guidelines for the use of AI are implemented now, and it is great to see the telecoms industry leading the way on this with the GSMA’s new roadmap.”