Starting the Conversation Around the Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence in Applied Behavior Analysis

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly a part of our everyday lives. Though much AI work in healthcare has been outside of applied behavior analysis (ABA), researchers within ABA have begun to demonstrate many different ways that AI might improve the delivery of ABA services.Though AI offers many exciting advances, absent from the literature thus far is conversation around ethical considerations when developing, building, and deploying AI technologies.Further, though AI is already in the process of coming to ABA, it is unknown the extent to which behavior analytic practitioners are familiar (and comfortable) with the use of AI in ABA. The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, to describe how existing ethical publications (e.g., BACB Code of Ethics) do and do not speak to the unique ethical concerns with deploying AI in ABA.Second, to raise questions for consideration that might inform future ethical guidelines when developing and using AI in ABA service delivery. In total, we hope this paper sparks proactive dialog around the ethical use of AI in ABA before the field is required to have a reactionary conversation.