AI Accountability Through Auditable Attestations: Towards Provable Compliance in Machine Learning Systems

Abstract

This paper addresses the critical need for accountability in artificial intelligence (AI) systems, particularly in domains where decisions have significant societal and ethical implications. We propose a novel framework leveraging auditable attestations to ensure provable compliance with predefined standards and regulations. The core of our approach involves generating verifiable proofs about the behavior and characteristics of machine learning models, allowing for independent audits and assessments. We explore the theoretical foundations of such attestations, focusing on cryptographic techniques like zero-knowledge proofs and secure multi-party computation, which enable the verification of model properties without revealing sensitive information. Furthermore, we discuss the practical implementation of our framework, including the design of attestation protocols, the selection of relevant model properties to verify, and the development of tools for generating and validating attestations. We illustrate the effectiveness of our approach through case studies in areas such as fairness in lending, transparency in healthcare, and safety in autonomous driving. Our results demonstrate the potential of auditable attestations to enhance trust and accountability in AI systems, fostering responsible innovation and deployment.