AIGP Study Guide
Module 2: AI Impacts & Responsible AI · BoK II.A

Trustworthy AI: the HAT test

The HAT test characterises trustworthy AI as Human-centric, Accountable, Transparent, operating in an expected, legal and fair manner. Explainability and transparency are the keys to trust; PETs support privacy-enhanced AI. The mirror image is Distrustful AI.

This course characterises trustworthy AI with three traits. Distrustful AI is the mirror image → black-box decisions, unfair outcomes, no explainability, a diminished human experience.

Mnemonic: HAT

Human-centric · Accountable · Transparent → trustworthy AI operates in an expected, legal and fair manner.

  • 🧑 Human-centric → AI must amplify human agency → a positive, not negative, impact on the human condition. Help, not hinder.
  • 👔 Accountable → organisations are ultimately responsible for the AI they deliver, irrespective of the number of contributors.
  • 🪟 Transparentunderstandable to the intended audience → technical for engineers, legal for counsel, plain for users.

Building it inside an organisation - Structure: a top-down approach supported by leadership, embedding responsible AI principles into operating systems, with governance structures of diverse roles. Operations: risk management frameworks covering privacy, accountability, auditability; systems must be robust, secure, transparent, ensuring fairness and human oversight; adhere to technical standards.

Transparent & explainable in practice - provide meaningful information to explain the development, training, operation and deployment of the system; make stakeholders aware when they are interacting with AI; and enable those adversely affected to challenge the output.

Explainability defined

The capacity to describe an AI system, its expected impact and potential biases → requires understanding how the system operates and the data it was trained on. Together, transparency and explainability are the keys to trust.

Privacy-enhanced AI (PETs)

Collect, store and use personal information in ways that protect individuals' rights. PETs are digital solutions letting information be used while protecting confidentiality → they help prevent intentional misuse as well as accidental or negligent misuse from hacks, bugs or misunderstandings of policies.

Key terms - quick answers

What is “HAT test”?
Trustworthy AI is Human-centric, Accountable, Transparent; operates in an expected, legal and fair manner.
What is “Explainability”?
The capacity to describe an AI system, its expected impact and potential biases.
What is “PETs”?
Privacy-enhancing technologies; digital solutions letting data be used while protecting confidentiality, preventing intentional and accidental misuse.
What is “Distrustful AI”?
The mirror of trustworthy AI: black-box decisions, unfair outcomes, no explainability, diminished human experience.