Ethical Behavior Analysis in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (AI): The Importance of Understanding Model Building while Formal AI Literacy Curricula are Developed

Abstract

Ethics is fundamentally concerned with claims of "right," "wrong," "good," "bad," and how we might know those claims are accurate. Artificial intelligence (AI) is a term that represents a suite of tools where nonbiological systems process data and information to generate an output considered "intelligent." As with any suite of technologies, choosing the right tool requires the tool user to critically evaluate which tool is best for the task (if one exists). Harnessing the power of AI systems to maximize benefit and minimize harm requires basic AI literacy. AI literacy requires a basic understanding of how mathematical models function. All future behavior analysts will need to be AI literate. This will require changes to education and training programs to ensure students have a basic understanding of model building, especially as we wait for the scholarship and research to unfold that outlines AI literacy skills specific to behavior analysts.

Keywords: AI ethics; AI literacy; Artificial intelligence; Behavior analysis; Quantitative models.