Artificial Intelligence Code of Ethics

Sections

1. Introduction 2. Scope 3. Guiding Principles 4. Implementation

1. Introduction

This policy serves as a guiding framework for our AI research, development, and usage both internally as well as deployed in our products and services, ensuring that these activities align with our core values, adhere to legal requirements, and promote trust among our customers and the public.

Why is ethics important to us?

We believe this is important because the AI we develop is important. We enable public relations, marketing, and communications professionals to understand, influence, and amplify their stories. We serve thousands of these clients and some of the biggest brands in the world. The data and insights that Cision provides have a meaningful influence on our clients’ understanding of public dialog and the decisions that they take to shape conversations. As our AI capabilities grow, these insights, and their decisions, are going to become increasingly rapid and automated. That means ensuring the data and insights we provide are accurate, authentic, and produced in the right ways is not just crucial for their business, it is important for their communities and for us all.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all Cision Group employees, contractors, and partners of Cision who engage in the research, development, deployment, and usage of AI-driven technologies. Where possible, our suppliers should also adhere to this policy.

This policy aims to protect the rights, freedoms, and interests of all our stakeholders including those listed above as well as our customers, data subjects, journalists, creators, and Subject Matter Experts we engage with. It is part of our data privacy and risk management framework.

3. Guiding Principles

Due to the rapid advancement in Artificial Intelligence technologies, our ethics policy takes a principled approach. This is to provide our stakeholders with guidance to inform decisions in a flexible and consistent manner regardless of the specific circumstances.

Principle 1 – Privacy, Security, and Integrity

We will recognize the sensitivity of PR and communication data and the importance of protecting our customers’ privacy. We are committed to protecting the privacy and security of the data used to train and operate our AI systems.
We will adhere to all relevant data protection laws and regulations and implement industry best practices to safeguard personal, sensitive, and client confidential information.
We will ensure that they perform as intended and do not pose undue risks to our stakeholders.
We will invest in rigorous testing, validation, and ongoing monitoring to minimize any potential harm including from the creation and dissemination of misinformation, disinformation, and harmful content by fake accounts or our own AI-driven tools and services.
We will commit to respecting and protecting intellectual property rights. We will develop AI systems in compliance with applicable copyright, trademark, and patent laws, and we will take measures to prevent any infringement by our technologies.

Principle 2 – Transparency and Explainability

We will be transparent in our AI development processes and communicate openly about our objectives, methodologies, and potential impacts.
We will provide documentation and explanations of our AI systems, to the extent feasible, while respecting proprietary information and privacy concerns.

Principle 3 – Fairness and Human Decision-Making

We will actively work to identify, address, and mitigate any biases or unfairness in our AI systems before, during, and continually after their release.
As further protection, we will develop AI-driven tools and services that enable our customers to achieve their goals more efficiently, while preserving and respecting human-in-the-loop agency and decision-making.

Principle 4 – Accountability and Governance

We will hold ourselves accountable for the performance and impact of our AI technologies by establishing mechanisms for monitoring, evaluating, and addressing any unintended consequences or misuse.
We will also actively engage with our customers, industry peers, regulators, and other stakeholders to foster dialogue and cooperation on AI ethics and best practices in PR and communication technologies.
We will contribute to the broader understanding and responsible development of AI in our industry.

Principle 5 – Contestability and Redress

We actively invite our stakeholders to challenge our approaches and the results of our AI.
We also recognize and value the rights of Data Subjects to understand how we process their data and, where AI and Machine Learning are involved, how and for what purpose their data is used.

4. Implementation

This policy is owned by the AI Ethics Committee, responsible for overseeing the implementation and adherence to this policy, as well as providing guidance on ethical considerations throughout the AI development and deployment process.
We will provide appropriate training and resources to our employees, contractors, and partners to foster understanding of our AI ethics commitments and promote responsible AI development and use.
We will regularly review and update this policy to ensure its relevance and effectiveness in addressing emerging ethical concerns and developments in AI technologies.
We will create channels for reporting potential ethical issues related to AI technologies and ensure that approriate remedial actions are taken to address any concerns.
Stakeholder Engagement: We will actively engage with our stakeholders as well as industry bodies and our competitors to solicit feedback, address concerns, and foster collaboration on ethical AI development and use.

By adopting this AI Ethics Policy, Cision reaffirms its commitment to responsible AI development and use, demonstrating our dedication to ethical practices and the well-being of individuals, society, and the environment.