Editor's Synopsis
Oliver Patel distinguishes between three commonly conflated terms in the AI space: AI ethics, responsible AI, and AI governance. He frames them as a layered hierarchy. AI ethics is the most foundational layer — a moral framework for determining right and wrong in AI-related activities, drawing on existing philosophical traditions. Responsible AI sits above it, defining specific principles like transparency, fairness, and accountability that operationalize ethical ideals and form the basis of many AI laws and standards. AI governance is the practical implementation layer — the policies, processes, organizational structures, and training that ensure responsible AI principles are actually adhered to in practice.
Patel emphasizes that professionals focused on governance and compliance should not lose sight of the foundational ethical questions, since without an evolving understanding of AI ethics, governance structures lack a meaningful basis. The post generated significant discussion, with commenters offering alternative framings — notably Carl Gahnberg suggesting the hierarchy could be inverted from a societal perspective, and Emmanuel Goffi critiquing the treatment of ethics as overly simplified. Patel acknowledged feedback and noted plans to add a fourth layer focused on responsible AI engineering and technical AI governance in a future update.