RESPONSIBLE AI LICENSES
Empowering Developers
Today, thousands of developers are working on machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms. Open source collaboration is an important channel to keep the technology moving forward. But the potential for technology being used in unintended ways is a cause for concern.
Releasing algorithms, code, or data can mean that developers & researchers must sacrifice control over the application of these artifacts. This can lead to a moral dilemma and harm the dissemination of scientific research. And if used irresponsibly, this can have a impact us all.
What is a rail license?
Responsible AI Licenses (RAIL) empower developers to restrict the use of their AI technology in order to prevent irresponsible and harmful applications. These licenses include behavioral-use clauses which grant permissions for specific use-cases and/or restrict certain use-cases. In case a license permits derivative works, RAIL Licenses also require that the use of any downstream derivatives (including use, modification, redistribution, repackaging) of the licensed artificial must abide by the behavioral-use restrictions.
A theoretical framework of how RAIL Licenses can be found in the ACM 2022 FAccT paper “Behavioral-use Licensing for Responsible AI”. We analyzed the adoption of RAIL Licenses and the need for standardization in our position paper posted on ArXiv: “On the Standardization of Behavioral Use Clauses and Their Adoption for Responsible Licensing of AI”
What We Do
We are a volunteer driven initiative that aims to serve as a co-coordinating group to initiate and execute community-driven activities for the standardization of RAIL Licenses, the development of tools and mechanisms for enabling developer collaboration in the presence of usage restrictions, development of tools and taxonomies to aid the discoverability, use and re-use of licenses, as well as, engage in initiatives for developer education and advocacy for RAIL Licenses.
Our mission is to mitigate AI harm by formulating best practices for licensing AI code, data, software and models. We are continuously on the look out for volunteers to work on these initiatives. Please use the contact form to get in touch!
See what we are upto here: NEWS
See our call for participation here!
TESTIMONIALS
“...an innovative and novel approach for promoting the responsible use of AI technology.”
“...extremely useful in creating further discussion and debate around the topic … the first concrete examples that I am aware of that democratizes the tools to allow individuals and groups to restrict applications of their technology.”
“A tool that helps computing professionals ‘respect the work required to produce new ideas, inventions, creative works, and computing artifacts’ as is asked for in Principle 1.5 of the ACM Code of Ethics.”
Get in touch
We want the Responsible AI Licenses (RAIL) to be driven by a community of people who want to help design AI in a responsible and ethical manner. We would love to have your input on future versions of the AI licenses. Please see our call for participation here!