What is the goal of an Ethical Impact Assessment (EIA)?

• A. To evaluate the overall design, development, and deployment of AI systems
• B. To audit financial profitability
• C. To measure network throughput
• D. To maximize autonomous decision-making

Answer: (A)

An Ethical Impact Assessment focuses on how an AI system will affect people and society across its lifecycle—from design and training to deployment and use. It looks for ethical risks and potential harms (and benefits) such as bias, privacy concerns, lack of transparency, and safety issues, and it identifies measures to mitigate them, establish accountability, and ensure regulatory and governance compliance. The goal is to inform design, development, and deployment decisions so the system aligns with values and stakeholder rights, not just technical performance or profitability. The other options describe financial auditing, network performance, or maximizing autonomy, which miss the aim of evaluating and managing ethical impact.