Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32246245›Full record

ArticleScience and engineering ethics2020

How to Design AI for Social Good: Seven Essential Factors.

Luciano Floridi, Josh Cowls, Thomas C King, Mariarosaria Taddeo

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Science and engineering ethics, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 43 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
43citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

43 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Balancing innovation and risk: artificial intelligence in travel medicine.Tropical diseases, travel medicine and vaccines · 2026
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  6. IMI-Instrumentation for Myopia Management.Investigative ophthalmology & visual science · 2025
    Review
  7. Article
  8. Review
  9. Review
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  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Review
  15. Ethics dumping in artificial intelligence.Frontiers in artificial intelligence · 2024
    Article
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Reimagining the machine learning life cycle to improve educational outcomes of students.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2023
    Article
  19. Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Luciano FloridiDigital Ethics Lab, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Josh CowlsDigital Ethics Lab, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. jcowls@turing.ac.uk.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8545-5068
Thomas C KingDigital Ethics Lab, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Mariarosaria TaddeoDigital Ethics Lab, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.

Funding

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council EP/N023013/1The Alan Turing Institute Doctoral Studentship
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The idea of artificial intelligence for social good (henceforth AI4SG) is gaining traction within information societies in general and the AI community in particular. It has the potential to tackle social problems through the development of AI-based solutions. Yet, to date, there is only limited understanding of what makes AI socially good in theory, what counts as AI4SG in practice, and how to reproduce its initial successes in terms of policies. This article addresses this gap by identifying seven ethical factors that are essential for future AI4SG initiatives. The analysis is supported by 27 case examples of AI4SG projects. Some of these factors are almost entirely novel to AI, while the significance of other factors is heightened by the use of AI. From each of these factors, corresponding best practices are formulated which, subject to context and balance, may serve as preliminary guidelines to ensure that well-designed AI is more likely to serve the social good.

Indexed as

Artificial IntelligenceMoralsHumansAI4SGArtificial intelligenceEthicsPrivacySafetySocial goodTransparency

Identifiers

PMID32246245
PMCPMC7286860

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.