Responsible AI

Commitment

Mott MacDonald leverages technologies, including AI, to drive better outcomes for our people, our clients, and the communities in which we operate.

There is a growing global focus on, and importance of responsible AI and we are committed to ensuring our use of AI systems is aligned with our Group policies, code of conduct and values.

We comply with applicable legal and regulatory requirements in every jurisdiction in which we work.

Approach

To fulfil our commitment, we:

• ensure that there are appropriate levels of human oversight and accountability for the development, procurement, operation and use of AI systems and associated outputs
• have adopted a set of responsible AI principles aligned with those of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Development:
  • Human-centred values and fairness – our AI systems must be developed and used in a way that is consistent with human-centred values including equality, fairness, privacy and data protection, and the rule of law.
  • Inclusivity and sustainability – our development and use of AI systems must support the delivery of beneficial outcomes and prosperity for people and planet as a priority.
  • Transparency and explainability – we are transparent about the use of AI systems. We can provide meaningful information that helps individuals understand how these operate (and how they have been developed, trained and deployed), so that they can make informed choices.  We ensure that any processes and decisions associated with our AI systems are transparent and understandable, and that they can be challenged and validated by humans.
  • Reliability – we ensure that our AI systems consistently perform as intended, delivering accurate and dependable results under a range of different conditions.
  • Security and safety – we ensure that our AI systems can withstand or overcome adverse conditions including digital security risks) and that they do not pose unreasonable safety risks (including to physical security) during their normal or foreseeable use.
  • Accountability – we ensure the proper functioning (throughout their lifecycle) of the AI systems we design, develop, operate or deploy, in accordance with any applicable regulatory frameworks, and we demonstrate this through our actions and decision-making processes.
• work to continually improve our AI governance framework and practices to meet the needs of our employees, clients and business.

Responsibility

• The Group development director is responsible for this policy and its implementation.
• Regional general managers are responsible for the effective implementation of this policy in their regions and business units.
• The Group AI governance working group is responsible for monitoring the effectiveness of this policy and for ensuring that our responsible AI commitments are reflected in our operational requirements
• All members of our workforce, who use AI, are responsible for complying with our responsible AI principles when developing, procuring, operating and using AI systems for our own business purposes or when delivering work for our clients and their stakeholders.

David Johnson
Group development director