IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/ict/wpaper/2013-378351.html

Doing versus Saying: Responsible AI among Large Firms

Author

Listed:
  • Jacques Bughin

Abstract

Responsible Artificial Intelligence (RAI) is a subset of the ethics associated with the use of artificial intelligence, which will only increase with the recent advent of new regulatory frameworks. However, if many firms have announced the establishment of AI governance rules, there is currently an important gap in understanding whether and why these announcements are being implemented or remain “decoupled” from operations. We assess how large global firms have so far implemented RAI, and the antecedents to RAI implementation across a wide range of RAI initiatives. We find that the operationalization of RAI practices is scattered across firms, with only a fringe of companies extensively industrializing RAI. Social pressure pushes RAI design (”saying”) rather than implementation but the reverse is true for competitive pressure. AI capabilities as a bundle of data quality AI architecture, and talents are strongly associated with RAI design to scaling.

Suggested Citation

  • Jacques Bughin, 2024. "Doing versus Saying: Responsible AI among Large Firms," Working Papers TIMES² 2024-077, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    • Handle: RePEc:ict:wpaper:2013/378351
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://dipot.ulb.ac.be/dspace/bitstream/2013/378351/3/2024-077-BUGHIN-doing.pdf
    File Function: Œuvre complète ou partie de l'œuvre
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kristina McElheran & J. Frank Li & Erik Brynjolfsson & Zachary Kroff & Emin Dinlersoz & Lucia Foster & Nikolas Zolas, 2024. "AI adoption in America: Who, what, and where," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(2), pages 375-415, March.
    2. Abou-Foul, Mohamad & Ruiz-Alba, Jose L. & López-Tenorio, Pablo J., 2023. "The impact of artificial intelligence capabilities on servitization: The moderating role of absorptive capacity-A dynamic capabilities perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    3. Nucci, Francesco & Puccioni, Chiara & Ricchi, Ottavio, 2023. "Digital technologies and productivity: A firm-level investigation," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Bughin, Jacques, 2024. "What drives the corporate payoffs of using generative artificial intelligence?," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 658-668.
    2. Jacques Bughin & Nicolas van Zeebroeck, 2025. "Roaring out of digital transformation," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/386722, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    3. Jacques Bughin, 2024. "The Role of Firm AI Capabilities in Generative AI-pair Coding," Working Papers TIMES² 2024-076, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jérôme Hambye-Verbrugghen & Stefano Bianchini & Paul E Brockway & Emmanuel Aramendia & Matthew K Heun & Zeke Marshall, 2025. "From twin transition to twice the burden? Digitalisation, energy demand, and economic growth," Post-Print hal-05460038, HAL.
    2. Ayala, Néstor Fabián & Rodrigues da Silva, Jassen & Cannarozzo Tinoco, Maria Auxiliadora & Saccani, Nicola & Frank, Alejandro G., 2025. "Artificial Intelligence capabilities in Digital Servitization: Identifying digital opportunities for different service types," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 284(C).
    3. Venkat Ram Reddy Ganuthula, 2025. "AI-enabled individual entrepreneurship theory: redefining scale, capability, and sustainability in the digital age," Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 14(1), pages 1-21, December.
    4. Yusuke Aoki & Joon Suk Park & Yuya Takada & Koji Takahashi, 2025. "Expecting Job Replacement by GenAI: Effects on Workers' Economic Outlook and Behavior," IMES Discussion Paper Series 25-E-04, Institute for Monetary and Economic Studies, Bank of Japan.
    5. Di Paola, Nadia & Chari, Simos & Iannacci, Federico & Kraus, Sascha, 2025. "Configurational theory in business and management research: Status quo and guidelines for the application of qualitative comparative analysis (QCA)," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 211(C).
    6. Santiago José Gahn, 2025. "Path dependence in the digital adoption process: a cross-section analysis of Italian firms with a special focus on the Apulia region," Economia e Politica Industriale: Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, Springer;Associazione Amici di Economia e Politica Industriale, vol. 52(4), pages 967-987, December.
    7. Fosso Wamba, Samuel & Queiroz, Maciel M. & Trinchera, Laura, 2024. "The role of artificial intelligence-enabled dynamic capability on environmental performance: The mediation effect of a data-driven culture in France and the USA," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 268(C).
    8. Zhou, Shen & Lu, Binbin & Wang, Shuhong, 2025. "Can the digital transformation of service trade alleviate global warming? An analysis from the perspective of developing economies," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    9. Chun, Hyunbae & Shin, Donghan, 2025. "Beyond automation: The multifaceted impact of advanced digital technologies on employment dynamics," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 54(10).
    10. Mauro Caselli & Edwin Fourrier-Nicolai & Andrea Fracasso & Sergio Scicchitano, 2024. "Digital Technologies and Firms’ Employment and Training," CESifo Working Paper Series 11056, CESifo.
    11. Koehler, Maximilian & Sauermann, Henry, 2024. "Algorithmic management in scientific research," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(4).
    12. Yusuke Aoki & Joon Suk Park & Yuya Takada & Koji Takahashi, 2025. "Expecting job replacement by GenAI: effects on workers' economic outlook and behavior," BIS Working Papers 1269, Bank for International Settlements.
    13. Hanna Halaburda & Jeffrey Prince & D. Daniel Sokol & Feng Zhu, 2024. "The business revolution: Economy‐wide impacts of artificial intelligence and digital platforms," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(2), pages 269-275, March.
    14. Kwiotkowska Anna, 2025. "Impact of AI capability, digital strategy, and digital maturity on organisational performance," Engineering Management in Production and Services, Sciendo, vol. 17(4), pages 15-28.
    15. Al-kahtib, Ayman & Alghababsheh, Mohammad & Khattab, Mais, 2025. "The role of organizational ambidexterity and frugal innovation in enhancing circular supply chains: The effect of artificial intelligence capabilities," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 210(C).
    16. Andres, Raphaela & Niebel, Thomas & Sack, Robin, 2025. "Big data and firm-level productivity – A cross-country comparison," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    17. Ciaschi, Matias & Falcone, Guillermo & Garganta, Santiago & Gasparini, Leonardo & Bertín, Octavio & Ramírez-Leira, Lucía, 2025. "The Potential Distributive Impact of AI-driven Labor Changes in Latin America," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 14253, Inter-American Development Bank.
    18. Samuel Fosso Wamba & Maciel M. Queiroz & Ilias O. Pappas & Yulia Sullivan, 2024. "Artificial Intelligence Capability and Firm Performance: A Sustainable Development Perspective by the Mediating Role of Data-Driven Culture," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 26(6), pages 2189-2203, December.
    19. Muhammad Salar Khan & Hamza Umer & Farhana Faruqe, 2024. "Artificial intelligence for low income countries," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-13, December.
    20. Lu, Juan & Li, He, 2024. "Can digital technology innovation promote total factor energy efficiency? Firm-level evidence from China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 293(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ict:wpaper:2013/378351. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Benoit Pauwels (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/iculbbe.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.