The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the CIPS member and do not reflect the official position of CIPS.
CIPS Member Article by Andrew Palmer I.S.P. (CIPS Ontario President)
The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence has dramatically changed the technological landscape and has had profound impacts across several areas, including health care, financial services and transportation. As A.I. systems play an ever-increasing role in making decisions related to people’s lives, the concerns regarding the ethical considerations of developing and using A.I. are becoming a prominent focus of public discourse. One way to approach this conversation is through the increasing number of examples of A.I. systems causing actual harm, ranging from hiring tools that favour males versus females to risk assessment models that do not function well for marginalized populations, resulting in unintended negative effects on individuals and communities (Ferrara, 2024).
This provides a compelling basis for arguing for the necessity of incorporating robust ethical A.I. practices into the education of IT professionals. This article proposes that it is indispensable for IT professionals to learn ethical A.I. practices to enable them to professionally develop and deploy A.I. systems during the A.I. evolution, supported by Canadian bodies such as the Canadian Information Processing Society, to promote a Code of Ethics emphasizing accountability, transparency and fairness.
A.I. technologies are changing all facets of everyday life. For instance, A.I.-based technologies provide consumers with personalized recommendations on streaming services, and many companies utilize automated hiring processes. However, as A.I. systems gain more autonomy, the potential for bias, discrimination, and privacy invasions increases (Ferrara, 2024). It is therefore necessary for IT professionals to receive education and training based on ethical frameworks to guide the development and deployment of A.I. systems, ensuring that A.I. systems provide positive contributions to society and minimize harm.
Including educational content focused on ethical A.I. practices within the curricula of universities and IT professional training programs can help IT professionals identify and respond to ethical dilemmas relevant to their work. Educational institutions should incorporate courses or modules on technology ethics that include realistic case studies demonstrating the adverse consequences of ignoring ethical considerations (Smith et al., 2023). Through fostering a culture of awareness around ethics, IT professionals can better navigate the complex ethical environment associated with A.I. technologies and advocate for best practices in their workplaces.
The Canadian Information Processing Society is instrumental in advocating for ethical standards among IT professionals in Canada. CIPS supports a code of ethics that promotes professionalism, integrity and respect for individual rights. Support for CIPS’ resources enables IT professionals to remain aware of current trends in ethics and best practices in frameworks, ensuring that their professional endeavours are consistent with societal values and laws. Supporting a community of practitioners dedicated to ethical A.I. development is critical to achieving this goal.
Accountability is one of the fundamental elements of ethical A.I. (Memarian & Doleck, 2023). To achieve this, IT professionals must realize that they are accountable for the systems they develop, including any inherent biases in their A.I. algorithms. Education on ethical A.I. practices can help prepare professionals to design systems that are transparent, allowing for scrutiny from end-users and stakeholders (Radanliev, 2025). By prioritizing accountability, IT professionals can contribute to the development of A.I. systems that are equitable and unbiased.
A.I. systems mirror the biases present in their developers or the data used to train them (Ferrara, 2024). Educating IT professionals on ethical A.I. practices can provide them with the tools to identify and eliminate bias in their own work. These tools include recognizing the significance of diverse datasets, utilizing fairness measures, and performing impact analyses. When IT professionals actively seek out bias in their work, they can help develop A.I. systems that foster equity and inclusion for society at large.
Canada has an opportunity to take the lead internationally in promoting the ethical practice of AI (Couture et al., 2023) by embedding ethics into its curricula and supporting entities like CIPS in promoting its code of ethics. Not only will this enhance Canada’s stature on a global stage, but it may also facilitate international cooperation toward establishing universal guidelines for the ethical implementation of AI (Radanliev, 2025).
There is an absolute necessity to teach IT professionals about the ethical use of AI during the AI revolution. Since AI is continuing to transform today and tomorrow, the responsibility falls squarely upon IT professionals to ensure that AI technologies are developed and deployed ethically. The advocacy efforts of Canadian entities such as CIPS regarding codes of ethics are essential in this effort. By valuing accountability, transparency, and fairness when designing and implementing AI solutions, IT professionals can create a future where AI benefits humanity both fairly and equitably. Most importantly, the inclusion of ethical practices in AI education is necessary to build a new generation of IT professionals capable of navigating the complexities involved with AI responsibly.
References
Couture, V., Roy, M.-C., Dez, E., Laperle, S., & Bélisle-Pipon, J.-C. (2023).
Ethical implications of artificial intelligence in population health and the public’s role in its governance: Perspectives from a citizen and expert panel. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 25, e44357.
https://doi.org/10.2196/44357
Ferrara, E. (2024). Fairness and bias in artificial intelligence: A brief survey of sources, impacts, and mitigation strategies. Sci, 6(1), 3.
https://doi.org/10.3390/sci6010003
Memarian, B., & Doleck, T. (2023). Fairness, accountability, transparency, and ethics (FATE) in artificial intelligence (AI) and higher education: A systematic review. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 5, 100152.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2023.100152
Radanliev, P. (2025). AI ethics: Integrating transparency, fairness, and privacy in AI development. Applied Artificial Intelligence, 39(1), 2463722.
https://doi.org/10.1080/08839514.2025.2463722
Smith, J. J., Payne, B. H., Klassen, S., Doyle, D. T., & Fiesler, C. (2023). Incorporating ethics in computing courses: Barriers, support, and perspectives from educators. Proceedings of the 54th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE 2023), 367–373.
https://doi.org/10.1145/3545945.3569855
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