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Microsoft publishes guidelines for developers building digital assistants
2 min. read
Published onNovember 15, 2018
published onNovember 15, 2018
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Microsoft hasreleased a set of guidelinesto help developers build “responsible” digital assistants. Adoption of conversational interfaces is growing amid rapid improvements in the underlying technologies. However, consideration of the ethical concerns is moving at a slower pace.
Microsoft said the guidelines are intended to remind developers that their products may be used in ways they cannot always foresee. Although ethical design has always been relevant to the technology industry, it is particularly important in the case of conversational interfaces.
Microsoft used the example of a pizza ordering bot. The service should be designed to facilitate the ordering of pizza, with minimal susceptibility to user distractions. If the user tries to discuss “sensitive topics,” such as race, gender, religion or politics, the service should refrain from engaging in much the same way as a human pizza server would. Otherwise, any biases in the bot’s algorithms could result in it learning unwanted behaviours from the customer.
The rest of the guidelines continue along similar themes. Overall, Microsoft stresses that bots can be good for society, if developers remain mindful of the potential issues. Organisations must be upfront about their use of bots. Any AI-powered services have to remain free of biases and respectful of cultural standards.
“In general, the guidelines emphasize the development of conversational AI that is responsible and trustworthy from the very beginning of the design process,” saidLili Cheng, Microsoft Corporate Vice President of Conversational AI. “They encourage companies and organizations to stop and think about how their bot will be used and take the steps necessary to prevent abuse. At the end of the day, the guidelines are all about trust, because if people don’t trust the technology, they aren’t going to use it.”
You can find the full list of guidelines over onMicrosoft Research’s website. Although they’re not hard rules, they do encapsulate the basic ethical standards to consider when developing bots. Microsoft published the guidelines this week alongside a new set of AI technologies, including aquick-start toolkitfor developers creating digital assistants.
Radu Tyrsina
Radu Tyrsina has been a Windows fan ever since he got his first PC, a Pentium III (a monster at that time).
For most of the kids of his age, the Internet was an amazing way to play and communicate with others, but he was deeply impressed by the flow of information and how easily you can find anything on the web.
Prior to founding Windows Report, this particular curiosity about digital content enabled him to grow a number of sites that helped hundreds of millions reach faster the answer they’re looking for.
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Radu Tyrsina
