Supporting Industry Computing Researchers in Assessing, Articulating, and Addressing the Potential Negative Societal Impact of Their Work

2024-08-02

arXiv.org

AI Summary

Industrial computing researchers lack effective tools and methodologies to systematically assess and mitigate the negative societal impacts of their work. Method: Through 25 in-depth interviews and co-design sessions with 41 practitioners, we systematically identified four key barriers to impact assessment, derived 10 empirically grounded design principles, and introduced the first scaffolded, context-specific social impact assessment template. The study integrates qualitative analysis, participatory design, user research, and empirical validation. Contribution/Results: Validated with 15 industrial research interns, the template demonstrates scalability and practical utility in real-world settings. This work delivers the first empirically validated, industry-oriented methodology framework and ready-to-use operational tool for embedding responsible AI practices within organizational workflows.

Technology Category

• Philosophy and Ethics of AI: Societal Impact of AI
• Application Domains: Humanities & Computational Social Science
• Humans and AI: Other Foundations of Human Computation & AI

Application Category

• Responsible Web: Algorithmic accountability and transparency on the web
• Search and Retrieval-Augmented AI: Web evaluation methodologies and metrics
• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: Accountability, Transparency, and Ethics for personalization

Abstract

Recent years have witnessed increasing calls for computing researchers to grapple with the societal impacts of their work. Tools such as impact assessments have gained prominence as a method to uncover potential impacts, and a number of publication venues now encourage authors to include an impact statement in their submissions. Despite this push, little is known about the way researchers assess, articulate, and address the potential negative societal impact of their work -- especially in industry settings, where research outcomes are often quickly integrated into products. In addition, while there are nascent efforts to support researchers in this task, there remains a dearth of empirically-informed tools and processes. Through interviews with 25 industry computing researchers across different companies and research areas, we first identify four key factors that influence how they grapple with (or choose not to grapple with) the societal impact of their research. To develop an effective impact assessment template tailored to industry computing researchers' needs, we conduct an iterative co-design process with these 25 industry researchers and an additional 16 researchers and practitioners with prior experience and expertise in reviewing and developing impact assessments or broad responsible computing practices. Through the co-design process, we develop 10 design considerations to facilitate the effective design, development, and adaptation of an impact assessment template for use in industry research settings and beyond, as well as our own ``Societal Impact Assessment'' template with concrete scaffolds. We explore the effectiveness of this template through a user study with 15 industry research interns, revealing both its strengths and limitations. Finally, we discuss the implications for future researchers and organizations seeking to foster more responsible research practices.

Problem

• Societal Impacts
• Computing Research
• Industry Settings

Innovation

• Societal Impact Assessment
• Impact Assessment Template
• Responsible Research Practices