Megan Nyhan

Title: Ethical Recommendation Algorithms: Developing an ethical framework and design principles for trustworthy AI recommender systems

Supervision Team:Susan Leavy, UCD / Josephine Griffith, UoG

Description: AI driven recommendation algorithms are profoundly influential in society. They are embedded in widely used applications such as Instagram and TikTok, disseminating content including social media, video or advertising according to user profiles. However, without appropriate ethical frameworks and design principles, they have the potential to lead to online harm, particularly for vulnerable groups. Ethical issues concern inappropriate content, risks to privacy and a lack of algorithmic transparency. In response, the EU and Irish government are developing regulations for AI. However, given the complex nature of recommender systems, there are significant challenges in translating this into implementable design guidelines and ethical principles. This project will develop an ethical framework and design principles for recommender algorithms ensuring the development of trustworthy recommender algorithms, enabling ethics audits and ultimately, will work to protect users from risks of online harm.