Part 5 — What are the Ethics of AI? As is the case for the current CCNE, this commission could be officially called upon by the President of the Republic, members of the government, Presidents of Parliamentary Assemblies, higher education institutes or public establishments; or may decide to act on its own initiative on subjects corresponding to its area of expertise. Nonetheless, this concerns pushing current boundaries and envisaging effective social outreach. Placing emphasis on social outreach Alongside the possibility of institutional consultations, public consultations could also be considered. Nevertheless, the technicalities must be defined. The commission could also include members from civil society and public representatives able to participate in the examination of topics, as much as in debates and setting the agenda. The current CCNE has initiated an interesting approach to social outreach. The Bioethics Law, voted on July 7, 2011 effectively tasked the CCNE with the coordination of general assemblies prior to reforms envisaged for ethical and societal issues. The aim is to encourage citizens to participate in ethical reflection by facilitating their understanding of issues in respect to scientific progress: ‘general assembly citizen committees’ are therefore composed of a representative sample of French citizens tasked with giving their opinion on topics raised. This approach could be replicated. Sustaining ethical debate in society The hive of activity currently surrounding the question of ethics must be encouraged and strengthened. This is why, beyond its initial responsibilities, the committee should be tasked with coordinating and sustaining ethical debate in society by organizing events, holding public consultations both online and off line, making tools and assistance available for the coordination of autonomous debates, carrying out surveys and opinion polls on the various issues, etc. Lastly, the committee could capitalize on the wide range of initiatives to have emerged in recent months such as union charters, corporate charters, non-profit charters and research work, where various philosophical and scientific approaches, various spheres of legitimacy and expertise on the topic cross over and intersect. The feedback provided by these initiatives is invaluable for achieving more generalized reflection. The commission could be responsible for logging feedback, mapping specific concerns that drive it, but also for enhancing or even certifying it in order to provide elements that other actors in search of guidance on best practice may find useful. An international debate A number of international actors, both public and private, have initiated a debate on the ethics of AI. For instance, the French researcher Yann LeCun has been behind an ethical partnership between very large players on this theme; Deepmind has an ethics department; the United Kingdom has already announced the establishment of a national ethics committee. At the European level, certain already imagine a 129