Scientific research organizations that are developing and deploying Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems are at the intersection of technological progress and ethical considerations. The push for Responsible AI (RAI) in such institutions underscores the increasing emphasis on integrating ethical considerations within AI design and development, championing core values like fairness, accountability, and transparency. For scientific research organizations, prioritizing these practices is paramount not just for mitigating biases and ensuring inclusivity, but also for fostering trust in AI systems among both users and broader stakeholders. In this paper, we explore the practices at a research organization concerning RAI practices, aiming to assess the awareness and preparedness regarding the ethical risks inherent in AI design and development. We have adopted a mixed-method research approach, utilising a comprehensive survey combined with follow-up in-depth interviews with selected participants from AI-related projects. Our results have revealed certain knowledge gaps concerning ethical, responsible, and inclusive AI, with limitations in awareness of the available AI ethics frameworks. This revealed an overarching underestimation of the ethical risks that AI technologies can present, especially when implemented without proper guidelines and governance. Our findings reveal the need for a holistic and multi-tiered strategy to uplift capabilities and better support science research teams for responsible, ethical, and inclusive AI development and deployment.

翻译：正在开发和部署人工智能（AI）系统的科研机构正处于技术进步与伦理考量的交汇点。此类机构推动负责任人工智能（RAI）的趋势，凸显了在AI设计与开发中整合伦理考量、倡导公平性、问责制与透明度等核心价值观的重要性。对于科研机构而言，优先践行这些实践至关重要——不仅是为了减少偏见和确保包容性，也是为了在用户和更广泛的利益相关者之间建立对AI系统的信任。本文探索了一家研究机构围绕RAI实践的现状，旨在评估其对AI设计与开发中固有伦理风险的认知水平和准备程度。我们采用了混合研究方法，利用综合问卷调查，并对AI相关项目的选定参与者进行了后续深度访谈。研究结果揭示了关于伦理、负责任及包容性AI方面的某些知识差距，具体表现为对现有AI伦理框架的认知不足，并且普遍低估了AI技术可能带来的伦理风险，尤其是在缺乏适当指导原则和治理机制的情况下实施时。我们的发现表明，需要采取一种全面、多层次的战略来提升能力，更好地支持科研团队实现负责任、合乎伦理且包容的AI开发与部署。