Responsible AI Decision Lens
Download this framework as a PDF to share with your team
Responsible AI Decision Lens
A framework by Soulful AI
AI is powerful — and easy to misuse without realizing it. The Responsible AI Decision Lens helps teams pause and ask the right questions before building or shipping.
It's not about slowing down. It's about seeing clearly.
Use this lens to:
- Spot hidden risks early.
- Make human-centered trade-offs visible.
- Strengthen trust with users, partners, and regulators.
Human Impact
Core Question: Who benefits, who's burdened, and who's left out?
What to Look For: Direct & indirect effects on users, employees, and communities.
Guiding Prompts: Who gains or loses agency? • Would I want this used on my family?
Watch Out For: Removing user choice • Manipulative interactions
Fairness & Bias
Core Question: Could this create or amplify bias?
What to Look For: Data sources, labeling, evaluation sets.
Guiding Prompts: Who's missing from our data? • Does performance vary by group?
Watch Out For: Homogeneous data • No bias testing
Transparency & Explainability
Core Question: Can people understand how it works and why?
What to Look For: Model interpretability, documentation, user messaging.
Guiding Prompts: Could we explain this to a regulator?
Watch Out For: Black-box decisions in high-impact contexts
Privacy & Data Stewardship
Core Question: Are we collecting only what we need, with consent?
What to Look For: Collection, storage, deletion policies.
Guiding Prompts: Would users be surprised by how we use their data?
Watch Out For: Hidden secondary uses • Indefinite retention
Accountability & Oversight
Core Question: Who's responsible if something goes wrong?
What to Look For: Ownership, escalation, review cadence.
Guiding Prompts: Who signs off before launch?
Watch Out For: No accountable owner • Ad-hoc governance
Long-Term Consequences
Core Question: What happens if this scales or is repurposed?
What to Look For: Systemic, environmental, or societal effects.
Guiding Prompts: Could this be misused at scale?
Watch Out For: Dual-use potential • Large-scale disruption
How to Use It
Kickoff: Add a 10-minute "Lens Check" to project starts or PRD reviews.
Decision Docs: Capture takeaways (e.g., "Medium fairness risk mitigated via data audit").
Retros: Revisit after launch to track real-world effects.
Optional: Score each lens (1–5) → visualize risk levels with a simple color bar.
Keep It Visible
- Pin it in your Notion sprint template.
- Print it beside your roadmap.
- Revisit it when uncertainty spikes — not just at the end.
Created by Soulful AI