Governance

Ethical AI Principles

Twelve high-level ethical principles guiding AI projects.

How the laws define this

Both instruments agree that ethical AI principles establish a guiding normative baseline to direct the design, deployment, and operation or oversight of AI systems, sharing overlapping concepts such as fairness or justice, beneficial AI, and transparency or explicability. The primary distinction between them lies in target scope and categorization structure. The Ethical Artificial Intelligence Framework focuses specifically on guiding AI within government projects through a consolidated set of twelve high-level principles, explicitly incorporating elements like lawfulness and compliance, data privacy, safety, and sustainability. On the other hand, the National Artificial Intelligence Policy applies broadly to AI systems without limiting its application to government settings, structuring its oversight around five core normative principles defined as beneficence (promote good), non-maleficence (avoid harm), autonomy (respect agency), justice (ensure fairness), and explicability (enable explainability).

Synthesised from the 2 statutory definitions below. Each one is quoted in full, with its source.

How jurisdictions differ

What is distinctive in each definition, binding law in force first.

Jurisdiction	Instrument	Status	What is distinctive
Hong Kong	Ethical Artificial Intelligence Framework	In Force	Lists twelve specific principles including Transparency & Interpretability, Reliability, Robustness & Security, and Sustainability & Just Transition, targeting government projects in Hong Kong.
Rwanda	National Artificial Intelligence Policy	Adopted	Limits to five principles—beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, justice, and explicability—for AI design, deployment, and oversight in Rwanda.

What it triggers

Hong Kong's Ethical Artificial Intelligence Framework recommends adopting its twelve principles, risk controls, and impact assessments for AI in government projects.source
Rwanda's National AI Policy sets out its five normative principles to guide AI design, deployment, and oversight.source

Definitions (2)

A consolidated set of twelve high-level principles (Transparency & Interpretability; Reliability, Robustness & Security; Fairness; Diversity & Inclusion; Human Oversight; Lawfulness & Compliance; Data Privacy; Safety; Accountability; Beneficial AI; Cooperation & Openness; Sustainability & Just Transition) intended to guide the design, development, deployment and operation of AI within government projects.

Ethical Artificial Intelligence FrameworkDefinition 1 of 2

A set of guiding normative principles—beneficence (promote good), non-maleficence (avoid harm), autonomy (respect agency), justice (ensure fairness), and explicability (enable explainability)—that direct the design, deployment, and oversight of AI systems.

National Artificial Intelligence PolicyDefinition 2 of 2

Not to be confused with

trustworthy/ethical AI

Trustworthy/ethical AI emphasizes design with transparency, accountability, and rights respect, while these definitions specify lists of principles for government or national AI guidance.

human‑centred / trustworthy AI

Human-centred/trustworthy AI focuses on rights, transparency, and safety principles, whereas these provide enumerated principles tailored to Hong Kong government or Rwanda's national policy.

AI Ethics Principles

AI Ethics Principles refer to eight voluntary principles in Australia, unlike the twelve in Hong Kong or five in Rwanda.

Questions and answers

What are the twelve principles in Hong Kong's Ethical AI Framework?

The principles are Transparency & Interpretability; Reliability, Robustness & Security; Fairness; Diversity & Inclusion; Human Oversight; Lawfulness & Compliance; Data Privacy; Safety; Accountability; Beneficial AI; Cooperation & Openness; Sustainability & Just Transition.

What principles guide AI in Rwanda's National AI Policy?

The guiding normative principles are beneficence (promote good), non-maleficence (avoid harm), autonomy (respect agency), justice (ensure fairness), and explicability (enable explainability).

Are these ethical AI principles legally binding?

No, Hong Kong's framework is a guideline and Rwanda's policy is not binding.