Accountability challenges of AI in smart grid services

Abstract

The rising importance and efficiency of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has led to AI being substantially deployed in various domains and its usage growing rapidly. For the smart grid, adopting AI-based methods has transformed established power system functions into more advanced analogs. However, the unstable operation of AI-based services may misguide operators to make incorrect operational decisions leading to substantial consequences. Accordingly, the rapidly growing market of AI-based services calls for raising awareness of accountability of these services. Accountability in grid services is getting even more challenging with respect to the wide availability of the AI-based methods implemented as libraries and the emergence of AI as a service. A key way forward is through smart grid operators monitoring their AI-based services to enable accountability. Accountable AI increases trustworthiness and accelerates acceptance of these services by society. Toward this, a conceptual representation of a monitoring regime for AI-based services is proposed and major challenges to realising it are identified. In addition, this work aims to draw more attention to AI-based services and the issues they raise, given AI increasing prominence and the general calls for the more responsible and accountable use of AI.