Our AI Principles

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a powerful tool that can create positive, lasting change for our clients, communities, and businesses. At Catalyst we recognise the real-world impacts of AI. We are determined to use AI technology responsibly.

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Our AI Principles represent our vision, values, and intent in the AI space

We are committed to helping you achieve your business goals efficiently, using AI where it makes sense. We use AI with integrity, transparency, and care for society and the communities we serve, in partnership with you.

1. People first and human-centred

People are always in control of our AI systems, which we design to benefit people and minimise harm. For example, if an AI system’s decisions can have adverse impacts on people, there must be staff who can review and override those decisions. We are committed to using AI to empower our colleagues and clients by enhancing their capabilities and supporting them to reach their goals.

2. Openness and transparency

We all want to be able to trust the technology we use and know what it’s doing. We do this through providing clear, auditable information proportionate to the risk of the system:

  • we outline the likely impacts of risks
  • we always clearly indicate when AI is in use
  • we describe in plain language what AI is doing
  • we indicate to people using a system enhanced by AI, whether their data is used for AI training purposes.

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3. Collaboration and partnership

We consult with clients, colleagues, and the wider community about the ethical use of AI tools. We invite people to be involved in the development of AI systems that use their data. If your project could benefit from AI, we discuss that thoroughly with you. We respect your knowledge, and we take your views seriously.

4. Respect and fairness

Any person or group that might be affected by the use of AI should be respected and given fair treatment. We use AI in a way that:

  • supports self determination
  • minimises discrimination or negative bias
  • promotes inclusiveness.

5. Sovereignty and consent

We ensure people have control over their data, so our clients and AI system users:

  • know where their data is stored and who has access to it
  • are given an obvious, simple way to revoke access to their data.

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6. Longevity and sustainability

The AI systems we work with provide lasting and positive benefits for our clients and staff, both now and in the future. A key priority for us is using environmentally sustainable methods to run AI systems. We use Catalyst Cloud, which has Toitū net carbonzero certification.

7. Reliability and security

We design AI systems with a focus on security and privacy for the systems’ entire life cycle. Ongoing monitoring ensures the systems continue to be reliable and dependable, and their outputs remain valid.

8. Open source

We apply open source principles and values in our AI work whenever it’s appropriate. For example, contributing code back to the community, prioritising the use of open source licences, and using open training data.

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What will you build?

If you want to get started with AI, or build better AI solutions, our team is ready to support you achieving your goals.

Contact us