Entry 05 of 44
Responsible
respondere — to answer, to correspond; re + spondere (to pledge)
Latin
From Latin respondere: to answer for, to pledge back. Root concept: having pledged to answer — bearing a genuine obligation that can be called in.
Established meaning
Bearing accountability for outcomes; legally or morally answerable for consequences. A responsible party can be held liable. 'Responsible development' implies that consequences of development decisions are owned and answerable.
AI industry deployment
'Responsible AI' as a brand category. Describes compliance with voluntary internal standards. Used in company names, team names, and mission statements. Rarely paired with specific legal liability or external enforcement mechanisms.
Semantic gap
The pledge that can be called in
Spondere — a formal commitment with consequences for breach. Industry usage of 'responsible' describes intent, not enforceable obligation.
Institutional drift
Microsoft/Google principles, 2018 → Meta RAI team, 2019–2023 → disbandment, November 2023 → brand without obligation, present
- 2018Microsoft and Google publish "Responsible AI" principles — voluntary, self-defined, unenforced.
- 2019Meta creates RAI team.
- 2023Early: Meta RAI reduced to "shell of a team" per Business Insider.
- 2023November: Meta RAI team disbanded — members moved to generative AI product team.
- 2024April: Google moves Responsible AI teams into DeepMind product structure.