Can We Trust AI Agents? A Case Study of an LLM-Based Multi-Agent System for Ethical AI
This work addresses the need for practical guidance on AI ethics for software developers, though it is incremental due to challenges in integration and dependency management.
The study tackled the problem of AI ethics in practice by developing an LLM-based multi-agent system that generates extensive source code and documentation for ethical AI issues, producing approximately 2,000 lines of code per case compared to 80 lines in baseline trials.
AI-based systems, including Large Language Models (LLM), impact millions by supporting diverse tasks but face issues like misinformation, bias, and misuse. AI ethics is crucial as new technologies and concerns emerge, but objective, practical guidance remains debated. This study examines the use of LLMs for AI ethics in practice, assessing how LLM trustworthiness-enhancing techniques affect software development in this context. Using the Design Science Research (DSR) method, we identify techniques for LLM trustworthiness: multi-agents, distinct roles, structured communication, and multiple rounds of debate. We design a multi-agent prototype LLM-MAS, where agents engage in structured discussions on real-world AI ethics issues from the AI Incident Database. We evaluate the prototype across three case scenarios using thematic analysis, hierarchical clustering, comparative (baseline) studies, and running source code. The system generates approximately 2,000 lines of code per case, compared to only 80 lines in baseline trials. Discussions reveal terms like bias detection, transparency, accountability, user consent, GDPR compliance, fairness evaluation, and EU AI Act compliance, showing this prototype ability to generate extensive source code and documentation addressing often overlooked AI ethics issues. However, practical challenges in source code integration and dependency management may limit its use by practitioners.