麥肯錫-負(fù)責(zé)任的人工智能：電信公司的業(yè)務(wù)當(dāng)務(wù)之急Responsible AI A business imperative for telcos 2024

Mcsey

&company

Technology,Media&TelecommunicationsPractice

ResponsibleAI:

Abusinessimperativefortelcos

TelcosthatuseresponsibleAIframeworkscanunlocknewrevenuestreamsandspurlong-awaitedgrowth.

ThisarticleisacollaborativeeffortbyAndreaTravasoni,BenjamimVieira,FerryGrijpink,and

RogerRoberts,withCécilePrinsenandVíctorTrigo,representingviewsfromMcKinsey’sTechnology,Media&TelecommunicationsPractice.

October2024

Overthepastdecade,thetelecomindustryhas

facedonedauntingchallengeafteranother.Telcoshaveenduredrelentlesscompetitivepressurefromfast-movingtechnologycompaniesthatentered

theircoresectorsofcommunications,connectivity,anddatatransport.Inthehopesofignitingrevenuegrowth,telcoshavesoughtto

reinventthemselves

.Theyhavecreatednewtech-drivenproduct

offerings—fromtheInternetofThings(IoT)and

softwareasaservice(SaaS)toover-the-top(OTT)videostreaming.Theyhavealsoventuredinto

adjacentindustriessuchasinsurance,financial

services,andhealthcaretooffernewB2CandB2Bservices.Someofthoseinitiativeshavebeen

moderatelysuccessful.Butthetruthisthattelcosstillstruggletocompetewithnimblerandmore

highlycapitalizedtechcompanies.

AIgivestelcosanotherchancetoreinventthemselves.Thegoalistobecome

AI-nativeorganizations

thatembedAIintoeveryaspectofthebusinesstohelp

drivegrowthandrenewal.Iftelcosactquickly,theycanleadthewayindeployingboth

generativeAI

(genAI)toimprovethecustomerexperienceand

cutcostsandanalyticalAItooptimizetheirback-

endoperationsandinfrastructure.ManytelcoshavealreadybeguntoimplementgenAI,deriving

significantcostsavingsinareassuchasmarketing,sales,andcustomerservice.McKinseyresearch

showsthatgenAIcoulddrivesignificantEBITDA

gainsfortelcos,withreturnsonincrementalmarginsincreasingthreetofourpercentagepointsin

twoyears,andasmuchaseighttotenpercentagepointsinfiveyears1

However,telcoscannottransformthemselves

intoAI-nativecompanieswithoutalsofocusing

acutelyon

responsibleAI

(RAI),whichisthepracticeofdeployingAIinwaysthatareethical,safe,

transparent,andcompliantwithregulations.Inthehighlyregulatedtelecomindustry,RAIframeworksthatgovernaccountabilityandtransparency

arecriticaltogainingconsumertrust,protecting

sensitivedata,andsafeguardingagainstsecurity

threats.AllthismakesRAImorethanjustanethicalexercisefortelcos.Itisalsoabusinessimperative.

ToshowcasetheimportanceofRAI,weconductedananalysisof100criticalAIusecasesthattelcoscoulddevelop.Foreachusecase,weindicatedthe

optimallevelofRAImaturity,consideringthe

inherentrisks.Forexample,anadvancedlevelofRAIwouldreinforceausecasethatmanages

customers’personalinformation.Ouranalysis

indicatesthattelcosimplementingthemost

advancedRAIpracticescoulddeployusecasesthatcollectivelycaptureupto$250billionin

valueworldwideby2040,44percentofthefullindustry-widevaluecreatedbyAIduringthat

period(exhibit)2

HowexactlycanRAIcreatevalue?Forstarters,justlikeallAIdeployments,RAIcansignificantlyimprovebusinessprocessesandstreamline

technologyintegrationstoreducecosts.Effective

RAIcanalsostrengthenbrandreputation,with

highercustomeracquisitionandretentionoften

propellingrevenuegrowth.Inaddition,RAIcanhelpreducecommercialandreputationalrisksacross

anorganization’sfullsuiteofAItoolsand

applications,ensuringthattheyperformatthehighestlevelsofaccuracy.Forexample,RAI

practicescouldhelpensureacompany’scustomerservicechatbotdoesn’tusebiased,incorrect,

orsensitivelanguageandthatitneverrecommendsacompetitor’sproductorservice.

Inthisarticle,weoutlinehowtelcoscandesignand

implementanRAIframeworkthatcouldgeneratesignificantbottom-lineimpact.AstrongRAI

frameworkincludesmaturitymodelsthattelcoscanusetoassesstheircurrentstrengthsand

weaknesses,aswellasbestpracticestomove

throughfoundational,evolving,emerging,and

advancedstagesofRAIimplementation.Astheydeploysuchaframework,telcoswillclarifytheir

individualRAIroadmaps,includinghowtostructureandimplementgovernance,technology,and

operatingmodels.RAIframeworkscanensurethat

atelco’sAIdeploymentsremainalignedwithrevenueandbusinessgoals.

1“

HowgenerativeAIcouldrevitalizeprofitabilityfortelcos

,”McKinsey,February21,2024.

2Ibid.

ResponsibleAI:Abusinessimperativefortelcos2

Exhibit

By2040,telcosthatuseadvancedresponsibleAIpracticescouldcaptureupto$250billioninvalueworldwide.

EstimatedvalueofAIpotentialfortelcoindustryby2040,bymaturitylevel,1$billion

565

Advanced

ResponsibleAIisdeeplyembeddedintocompanyculture,withproactivemanagement

Performing

ResponsibleAIprinciplesareintegratedwithrobustprocessesandgovernance

Evolving

StructuredprocessesarepresentwithearlyintegrationofresponsibleAI

Foundational

InitialawarenessforresponsibleAIisestablished,withfourprimarycomponentsinplace

(100%)

250(44%)

90(16%)

75(13%)

150(27%)

1Figuresaremidpointoftheestimatedrangeofimpact.ReferencestoAIincludeanalyticalAI(advancedanalytics,deeplearning,traditionalmachinelearning)andgenerativeAI.Estimatedvaluefrom“TheeconomicpotentialofgenerativeAI:thenextproductivityfrontier,”McKinsey,June14,2023.

McKinsey&Company

Industry-standardRAIframeworksarerare

TelcoscanbenefitfromRAIinmultipleways:

betterbusinessoutcomes,competitiveadvantage,

sustainablegrowth,increasedcustomertrust,

enhancedoperationalefficiency,strongertalent

attraction,and,ofcourse,financialgains.Forward-thinkingtelcosrecognizethatrobustRAIgovernanceservesasasetof“goodbrakes”thatenablethem

to“drivefaster”toharnessthefullpotentialofAIwhilemitigatingrisks.

Basedonourinterviewswithseniorleadersat

telcosworldwide,fewarecurrentlyattheadvancedstageofRAIdeployment,withamajoritystillatthefoundationalorevolvingstages.OneofthebiggestroadblockstotelcosdeployingRAIisthelackof

industrystandards.TelcoswanttodeployRAI,but

thereisnosingleagreed-uponframeworktoaid

themintheirjourneys.Thus,insteadofproactivelyadoptingRAI,telcosarereactionary,adding

piecemealgovernancestandardsasnewregulatoryrequirementsemerge.Thisapproachhelpstelcos

avoidlegalandfinancialrepercussionsbutdoesnotresultinthetypeofcohesiveandstrategicRAI

deploymentsnecessarytofuelinnovation.

Manygovernmentshaveproposedorpassed

legislationtoensurethatAIdeploymentsarefair,transparent,accountable,andsecure(Table1).

Internationalorganizationshaveproposedglobal

policiesforRAI,butnoneofthesepolicieshave

beenadoptedonawidescale(Table2).Andnoneoftheseregulationsorpoliciesarespecifictothe

telecomindustry.

ResponsibleAI:Abusinessimperativefortelcos3

Table1

MajorgovernmentsaroundtheworldhaveenactedorproposedlegislationtohelpregulatethesafeandtransparentuseofAI.

UpdatedSept2024,nonexhaustive

Country/Region

Name

Description

UnitedStatesofAmerica

ExecutiveOrderontheSafe,Secure,

andTrustworthyDevelopmentandUseofArtificialIntelligence(ineffect)

Drivessafe,secure,andtrustworthydevelopmentofAIthroughguidingprinciplesandaunifiedapproachtogovernance,withafocuson

protectingAmericancitizensandadvancingAmericanleadershipabroad

EuropeanUnion

EUArtificialIntelligenceAct(ineffect)

Addressesethicalquestionsandimplementationchallengesinvarioussectors(eg,education,energy,finance,andhealthcare),withafocusondataquality,transparency,humanoversight,andaccountability

Canada

ArtificialIntelligenceandDataAct(proposed)

WouldhelpensurethatAIsystemsdeployedinCanadaaresafeand

nondiscriminatoryandwouldholdbusinessesaccountableforhowtheydevelopandusethesetechnologies

Japan

ActontheProtectionofPersonalInformation(ineffect)

Establishesrulesandregulationsregardingthecollection,use,andhandlingofpersonalinformationbybusinessesandgovernment

agencies

China

MeasuresfortheManagementofGenerativeArtificialIntelligenceServices(proposed)

WouldmakecompaniesthatprovidegenerativeAI(genAI)servicesto

thepublicresponsiblefortheiroutputsandwouldrequirethedatathatisusedtotraintheiralgorithmsmeetstrictrequirements

Australia

AustralianFrameworkforGenerative

ArtificialIntelligenceinSchools(ineffect)

GuidestheresponsibleandethicaluseofgenAItoolsinwaysthatbenefitstudents,schools,andsociety;ledbytheAustralianHumanRightsCommission

Source:FairlyAI

Table2

InternationalorganizationshaveproposedglobalpoliciesforresponsibleAI,thoughnonehavebeenadoptedonawidescale.

Initiatives

Description

Outcomes

OECD

RecommendationoftheCouncilonArtificial

Intelligence(OECD,2019)

FirstsetofintergovernmentalpolicyguidelinesonAI

Adoptedby42countries,supportedbyEU

Influentialininternationalpolicysetting,thoughnotlegallybinding

GPAI

GlobalPartnershiponArtificialIntelligence(GPAI,2020)

Amultistakeholderinitiativedesignedtobridgethegap

betweentheoryandpracticeinAI

Supportscutting-edgeresearchandappliedactivitiesfocusingonAI-relatedpriorities

PublishesvariousreportsandrecommendationsonresponsibleAI

UNESCO

Recommendationon

theEthicsofArtificialIntelligence(UNESCO,2021)

DraftagreementdefiningcommonvaluesandprinciplestohelpensurethehealthydevelopmentofAI

Adoptedbyall193UNESCOmemberstates

WHO

Ethicsandgovernanceofartificialintelligenceforhealth(WHO,2021)

IdentifiesethicalchallengesandrisksassociatedwiththeuseofAIinhealthcare

IncludessixconsensusprinciplestohelpensurethatAIbenefitsthepublicacrossallcountries

Providesasetofgovernancerecommendations

Source:Organizations’websites;presssearch

ResponsibleAI:Abusinessimperativefortelcos4

Whiletelecomindustryassociationsaremaking

progressondefiningRAIstandards,therearestillbarrierstoachievingnear-termsuccess:

—Limitedleadershipfromcentralorganizations.Telecomindustryassociationsandstandard-

settingbodiescanshowmoreleadership

inadvancingRAIpractices.Whilesome

organizationsactivelypromoteRAI,fewhavedevelopedcomprehensiveframeworksor

providedclearguidancetotheirmembers.

Thisgaphinderstelcosfromadopting

bestpracticesandachievingconsistentstandardsofAIresponsibility.

—LimitedavailabilityofRAIindustrybenchmarks.TheabsenceofRAIbenchmarksinthetelecomindustrycreatesasignificantchallengefor

telcos.Benchmarksserveasreferencepointsthatallowcompaniestoevaluatetheir

performancerelativetoindustrystandards

andidentifyareasforimprovement.Withoutthesebenchmarks,telcoslackmetricsto

gaugetheirprogressinimplementingRAI.

Thisgapcomplicateseffortstofoster

transparency,askeystakeholders—including

regulators,consumers,andpartners—

havenoclearstandardsagainstwhichtomeasureatelco’sAIinitiatives.

RAIframeworksfortelcoshavefourcharacteristics

Despitealackofclearstandardsfortheirindustry,telcoshaveastrongdesiretoimplementRAI.Inour

interviews,themajorityofleadersexpressed

interestincreatinganddeployingRAIframeworkstailorednotjusttothetelecomindustrybuttotheirindividualbusinesses.Mosthopedtobegintheir

RAIjourneywithmaturitymodelsthatassesswheretheystandanddefinethespecificstepsneededtobecomeadvancedusersofRAI.Telcosseematuritymodelsasalevel-settingexercisetoinformtheir

strategicplans.Theywanttodeployeasy-to-use

modelingtoolstoscoretheirlevelsofRAIreadinessandtranslatethesefindingsintoexecutive-level

summarieswithcallstoaction.Unfortunately,fewoftheleadersweinterviewedsaidtheycurrentlyuse

RAImaturitymodels,mostlybecauseofthetools’limitedavailability.Telecomindustrygroupsare

workingtodefineRAImaturitymodelsspecifictotelcos,butitisstillearlydays.Forexample,the

GlobalSystemforMobileCommunications

Association(GSMA)onlyrecentlycreatedatoolfortelcostomeasuretheirRAImaturity.

WhatspecificcharacteristicsshouldanRAIframeworkfortelcosinclude?Basedon

ourinterviews,astrongRAIframeworkforthetelecomindustrymightencompassfour

keycharacteristics:

1.Industry-specificmaturitymodels.ThesetoolshelptelcosassesstheirRAIreadinessand

definespecificbenchmarksforeachlevel.The

modelsconsidertelcos’uniquegoalsand

challengeswithAIinlightofahighlycompetitivemarket,interconnectednetworks,andextensiveexposuretoconsumerdata.

2.ClearRAIguidelines.Thesebuildingblocks

offeracomprehensiveoverviewofthevariouselementsthatcompriseanRAIstrategy,

includinggovernance,riskmanagement,dataquality,andethicalguidelines.

3.Bestpractices.ThesepracticalstrategiesshowtelcoshowtoimplementRAIeffectively,includingprovenpracticesthatadvancedtelcoshave

alreadysuccessfullyadoptedandmeasured.

4.Progressmetrics.Thesemeasurement

guidelinesoutlinepracticalstepstelcoscanfollowtoimprovetheirRAIcapabilities

andprogressthrougheachstageofmaturity:foundational,evolving,performing,

andadvanced.

Industry-specificmaturitymodelsforassessmentandgoalsetting

AneffectiveRAIframeworkshouldincludean

easy-to-usematurity-modelingtooltohelptelcosfullyunderstandtheirbaselineAIreadinessand

identifyopportunitiesforgrowthandimprovement.MaturitymodelshelptelcoscapturetheirfullAI

potentialateverystageofdeployment.

ResponsibleAI:Abusinessimperativefortelcos5

OperatorsjuststartingontheirRAIjourneycan

usematuritymodelstoestablishandmeasure

essentialfoundationalrequirements.TheseincludeadoptingcoreRAIprinciples,definingkeyroles

andresponsibilities,andsettingupinitialgovernancestructures.FoundationalrequirementsalsoincludeestablishingacodeofethicsforAI,appointing

achiefAIofficer,andcreatinganAIgovernanceboard.Companiesinthisfoundationalstage

ofRAIadoptionaremostlylookingtoenhancespecificaspectsoftheiroperations,suchas

improvingoperationalefficiencyorautomatingroutinetaskslikecustomerservice.

OntheotherendofthespectrumarecompaniesintheadvancedstageofRAIdeployment.ThesetelcosuseAItocreatehigh-impact,customer-

facingusecasesandintegrateAIdeeplyintotheirstrategicdecision-makingprocesses.ExamplesincludeusingAItocreatepersonalizedcustomerexperiences,toanalyzevastamountsofdatafor

strategicinsights,ortospurinnovationinproductdevelopment.Thus,maturitymodelsshould

integratebenchmarksandbestpracticesforadvancedusers,includingsophisticatedriskmanagementframeworks,comprehensive

governancemodels,andcontinuousmonitoringandimprovementprocesses.Forcompanies

attheadvancedstage,maturitymodelsmayalso

includeAIauditingprocessestoensuretransparencyandaccountability.

ClearRAIguidelinestodefineoverallstrategyAneffectiveRAIframeworkoutlineseverystepofatelco’sAIstrategyandlong-termroadmap.

Itincludesdefinitionsforgovernance,risk

management,dataquality,andethics,withstrategicandoperationalbestpracticestoadvancethese

policiesateachstageofRAImaturity.ThefollowingaretheessentialcomponentsofanRAIframework.

Strategy.ThisdefinesthevisionandprinciplesforRAIgovernanceinalignmentwiththeorganization’svaluesandstrategicgoals.Hereiswhatarobust

strategyshouldinclude:

—Vision.AcleararticulationofwhatRAImeansfortheorganizationandhowitalignswith

thecompany’sbroadermission

—Principles.Foundationalethicalguidelines

thatsteerAIdevelopmentanddeployment,

ensuringfairness,transparency,accountability,andinclusivity

—Alignment.GuidelinestoensurethattheRAIstrategyisconsistentwiththeorganization’sstrategicobjectives

—Regulations.Rulestoensureadherence

tolocalandinternationalstandardstomitigatecompliancerisks

Enablers.Theseactivatewell-definedbest

practicesthatareintegraltoacomprehensiveRAIroadmap.Keyfeaturesincludethefollowing:

—Tools.AninventoryoftheresponsibleAItoolstheorganizationwilluseformodelvalidation,biasdetection,andinterpretabilitytoensureethicalAIdevelopment

—Training.AplanforcontinuouseducationandtrainingtohelpemployeesunderstandAI’s

ethicalimplicationsandtechnicalaspects

—Changemanagement.Astructuredapproach

theorganizationwillusetotransitionindividuals,teams,andorganizationstowardRAIpractices

—Communication.Clear,cascadingcommunicationchannelstoensurethateveryoneinthe

organizationisalignedwiththeRAIstrategyandprinciples

Operatingmodel.Thishelpsensurethattherighttalent,governancestructures,teamcomposition,

andprocessesareinplacetoallowcompaniesto

implementRAIacrossallbusinessactivities.Criticalelementsincludethefollowing:

ResponsibleAI:Abusinessimperativefortelcos6

—Talent.TherecruitmentanddevelopmentofprofessionalswiththenecessaryskillsinAI,ethics,andgovernance

—Governance.Robustgovernancestructuresthatdefineroles,responsibilities,anddecision-

makingprocessesrelatedtoRAI

—Teamstructure.Formationofcross-functionalteamsthatincludedatascientists,ethicists,

legalexperts,andbusinessleaders

—Processes.ImplementationofstandardizedRAIdevelopment,deployment,and

monitoringprocedurestoensureconsistencyandaccountability

—Culture.Thecreationofacultureofethical

awarenessandresponsibilityregardingAI,

whichencouragesemployeestospeakupaboutpotentialissues

Risk.ThisemphasizestheimportanceofproactivelymonitoringandmitigatingrisksassociatedwithAI

andinvolvesthefollowing:

—Measurement.Developmentofmetricsand

KPIstoevaluatetheperformanceandrisksofAIsystems

—Monitoring.ContinuousobservationofAI

modelsforsignsofbias,errors,orotherissuesthroughtechniquessuchasriskmanagementandthird-partysolutionauditing

—Reviews.Implementationofrigorousreview-

and-challengeprocessessuchas“redteaming”(simulatingattackstoidentifyvulnerabilities)

and“wargaming”(stresstestingmodelsunderhypotheticalscenarios)

—Reporting.Regulardocumentationand

communicationtostakeholderstoensuretransparencyandtofacilitateinformedAIdecisionmaking

BestpracticestodeployRAIinthetelecomsector

AnRAIframeworkforthetelecomindustryshould

providespecificbestpracticesforeachofthefourkeycomponentsdescribedabove.Thesebest

practicescanhelptelcosapplygeneralprinciplesofRAIinamannerthatacknowledgestheindustry’s

uniquechallengesandopportunities,suchasusingAIfornetworkoptimizationorcustomerchurn

prediction.AcomprehensiveRAIframeworkprovidesbestpracticesforeachmaturitylevel—foundational,evolving,performing,andadvanced—creatinga

roadmapthathelpstelcosadvancefromoneleveltothenext.

WhatfollowsaresamplebestpracticestelcoscouldadoptatthefoundationallevelofRAI

deployment,thoughafullframeworkwouldprovide

agreaternumberofbestpracticesand

tailorthemmorespecificallytoanindividualtelco’ssituation:

—Strategy:

?Vision.Writeahigh-levelstatement

articulatingtheorganization’scommitmenttoRAIthatisalignedwiththebroadermission

andservesasaguidinglightforallAIactivities.

?Principles.Defineearlyethicalprinciplesthatprovideaclearframeworkfor

RAI,touchingonfairness,transparency,accountability,andinclusivity.

?Alignment.DeveloparoadmaptoincorporateAIprinciplesintotheorganization’soverall

businessgoals.

?Regulations.Conductinitialresearchto

understandtheregulatoryrequirementsatboththenationalandinternationallevels.

ResponsibleAI:Abusinessimperativefortelcos7

—Enablers:

?Tools.FindandadoptafirstsetofRAItoolstohelpwithmodelvalidation,biasdetection,andinterpretability.

?Training.ConductaninitialtrainingprogramtoeducateemployeesaboutAI’sethical

implicationstobuildawarenessofRAIpracticesacrosstheorganization.

?Changemanagement.StartbasicprocessestohelptheorganizationadapttoRAI,such

ascreatingasimpleroadmaptodescribethetransitionprocess.

?Communication.Choosechannels—for

example,anewsletter,blog,website,orsocialmediaplatform—todisseminateinformation

toemployeesandexternalstakeholdersaboutthecompany’sRAIprinciples.

—Operatingmodel:

?Talent.Createaplantoobtainthe

necessarytalenttodeployRAI,includingrequirednewhiresandplansforupskillingexistingemployees.

?Governance.Setupaninitialgovernancestructurethatdefinesrolesand

responsibilitiesforkeystakeholdersandoutlinesbasicprocedures.

?Teamstructure.Takeahigh-levelinventoryofexistingemployees—includingdatascientists,developers,ITstaff,legalexperts,product

managers,andbusinessleaders—whocouldpotentiallyjoinacross-functionalteamto

supportRAIinitiatives.

?Processes.Researchstandardized

proceduresforAIdevelopment,deployment,andmonitoring,andintroduceaninitialsetofunifiedprocedures.

?Culture.Createaninitialinternal

communicationscampaigntointroducetheconceptofRAI.

—Risk:

?Measurement.Developbasicmetrics

andKPIstoevaluatetheperformanceofearlyRAIsystemsandsetupinitial

measurementframeworks.

?Monitoring.Establishbasicprocessesto

continuallyobserveAImodelstodetectsignsofbias,errors,orotherissues.

?Review.Createinitialreview-and-challengeprocesses,includingplansforredteamingandwargaming.

?Reporting.SetupreportingmechanismstodocumentandcommunicateRAIfindings,

includi