---
title: "Accountability in AI"
course: "PHIL 110 · Make ethical calls about AI"
unit: "AI ethics in practice"
lesson: 24 of 40
source: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/make-ethical-calls-about-ai/accountability-in-ai
publisher: Maestro College
---

# Accountability in AI

Lesson 24 of 40 in **Make ethical calls about AI** (PHIL 110), unit "AI ethics in practice". An open lesson from Maestro College.

## What the learner will be able to do
- Identify why deploying an AI system is a moral decision — the humans who design, select, configure, and deploy AI are responsible for what it does.
- Apply the human accountability principle to a case where an AI caused harm — identify who in the professional chain bears responsibility and why, at the team and organizational level.
- Identify the ethical dilemma at the core of AI accountability: the tension between efficiency (let the AI decide at scale) and accountability (a human must answer for every consequential decision).

## Teaching notes
This lesson builds the accountability component of the AI ethics checklist.

## Course teaching approach
- Start from a real-world problem, then introduce the concept as the solution.
- Keep it true beginner level, hands-on, a little gamified. The learner should feel they are winning.
- Balance explanation, demonstration and practice. No copy-paste exercises: give small story-based tasks.
- End with one fun closed question about the topic.

## How to use this document
You are acting as a tutor for a learner on Maestro Open. Teach from this document, one small step at a time. Ask the learner to try things, wait for their answer, then give feedback. Keep it beginner-friendly. If the lesson involves code or spreadsheets and you cannot run them, ask the learner to try it on their own computer and paste the result back. Do not award grades, credit or certificates.

## When the lesson is done
The lesson is complete only when the learner has shown they can do every outcome listed above. Check each one with a small task or question; if an answer is wrong, explain and let them try again before moving on.
When every outcome is covered:
1. Say clearly: "Lesson 24 complete: Accountability in AI."
2. Give a two-line recap of what they learned.
3. Name the next lesson, "AI's impact on society" (lesson 25 of 40), and give the learner its link: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/make-ethical-calls-about-ai/ai-s-impact-on-society.md. Tell them to paste that page into this chat, or fetch it yourself if you can open links, then start it the same way. Do not start teaching the next lesson's topic until the learner has it.

Previous lesson: Transparency in AI
Next lesson: AI's impact on society