Ethical AI and Data Science: Building Trustworthy and Transparent Systems

As artificial intelligence (AI) permeates day-to-day life―influencing who is granted what type of healthcare, determining who is granted an employment interview or academic enrollment, or delivering what information to whom―it frames individuals and society. AI has far-reaching powers to improve lives, but it is not without risks. Owing to its limitations, AI may prevent a person from receiving needed healthcare, block a deserving candidate from employment, or present fake and inaccurate information. How to trust that AI systems will improve lives and not create greater inequality and strife? How to foster the benefits of AI and mitigate the harms from AI? Ethical AI and Data Science: Building Trustworthy and Transparent Systems answers these questions.

A vital and ongoing dialogue surrounding data, accessibility, and the multifaceted challenges posed by AI in ethics, safety, and societal impact, the book features diverse perspectives and practical approaches written by a panel of experts. Highlights of the book include:

• Ensuring safety in agentic AI through decision traceability
• Promoting responsible and ethical AI in financial services
• Bridging human-machine knowledge for responsible AI
• Responsible agentic AI for effective cybersecurity and ethical safety

The book offers valuable insights into navigating the complexities of developing AI systems that are not only innovative but also transparent, equitable, and secure. This volume aims to advance understanding and foster collaboration among researchers, practitioners, and policymakers, helping to shape AI technologies that responsibly serve society while addressing critical concerns around fairness, accountability, and human well-being.

Dr. Tereza Raquel Merlo is a researcher, professor, practitioner, consultant, and post-doctoral researcher at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) in a program affiliated with the Brazilian Institute of Information in Science and Technology (IBICT). At the University of North Texas (UNT), she teaches in the Information Sciences Department. Dr. Merlo is also the CEO of Merlo Management Consulting, delivering global business solutions focused on business process improvement through data analysis, knowledge management systems, and leadership development.

Her research centers on Knowledge Management Systems and the impact of Artificial Intelligence on business performance, strategy, and operations with particular expertise in AI-driven business strategies, process optimization, and leadership. Dr. Merlo actively contributes to scientific committees for academic journals and serves on the advisory board of the International Conference on Knowledge Management (ICKM). She has chaired several of its annual conferences, including: Knowledge- Based Economy and Networked University (Brazil, 2019); Bridges to Knowledge Society (Brazil, 2023); Navigating Inequities and Social Justice in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (USA, 2024); and Shaping the Future of Data, Knowledge, and Innovation with AI for Global Sustainable Change (Portugal, 2025). She has also been invited to serve on the scientific committee for the Glossary of Innovation, Organizational Knowledge, and Scientific and Technological Information at IBICT.

Dr. Merlo has authored and edited several books, including Understanding, Implementing, and Evaluating Knowledge Management in Business Settings (IGI Global) and AI and Data Analytics in Organizational Management. She is the editor-in-chief of the book series Artificial Intelligence in Organizations: Transformative Technologies, Applications, and Impacts by World Scientific Publishing. She has published numerous scientific papers and book chapters and regularly participates in international conferences as a keynote speaker.

She served the City of Austin for over a decade, developing, implementing, and managing numerous projects within the library system and across city departments. Her work focused on Digital Literacy, Collection Development, Culture and Diversity, Leadership, and Records Management. Throughout her career, she has received multiple awards recognizing excellence in project management, team leadership, and initiatives promoting inclusion and diversity. Notably, in 2016, she received the Texas Library Association Junior Library Guild Diversity and Inclusion Award for her innovative project promoting inclusion and diversity within Austin communities.

With extensive experience working with Fortune 100 companies, Dr. Merlo has led projects in deal management, cloud computing, data analytics, business intelligence, and sales strategy, successfully managing a portfolio exceeding $52 million.

Dr. Jay Liebowitz served as the professor of Business Innovation and Industry Transformation and Director of the AI-EDGE Center in the Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College. He has recently served as the inaugural executive-in-residence for Public Service at Columbia University’s Data Science Institute. He was previously a visiting professor in the Stillman School of Business and the MS- Business Analytics Capstone & co-program director (External Relations) at Seton Hall University. He previously served as the Distinguished Chair of Applied Business and Finance at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology. Before HU, he was the Orkand Endowed Chair of Management and Technology in the Graduate School at the University of Maryland University College (UMUC). He served as a full professor in the Carey Business School at Johns Hopkins University. He was ranked one of the top 10 knowledge management researchers/ practitioners out of 11,000 worldwide, and was ranked #2 in KM Strategy worldwide according to the January 2010 issue of the Journal of Knowledge Management. At Johns Hopkins University, he was the founding program director for the Graduate Certificate in Competitive Intelligence and the capstone director of the MS- Information and Telecommunications Systems for Business Program, where he engaged over 30 organizations in industry, government, and nonprofits in capstone projects.

Prior to joining Hopkins, Dr. Liebowitz was the first knowledge management officer at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Before NASA, he was the Robert W. Deutsch Distinguished Professor of Information Systems at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, professor of Management Science at George Washington University, and chair of Artificial Intelligence at the US Army War College.

Dr. Liebowitz is the founding editor-in-chief of Expert Systems with Applications: An International Journal (published by Elsevier; ranked as a top-tier journal; Thomson Impact Factor as of June 2021 is 8.665). He is a Fulbright Scholar, IEEE-USA Federal Communications Commission Executive Fellow, and Computer Educator of the Year (International Association for Computer Information Systems). He has published over 45 books and a myriad of journal articles on knowledge management, analytics, financial literacy, intelligent systems, and IT management. Dr. Liebowitz served as the editor-in-chief of Procedia-CS (Elsevier). He is also the editor of the Data Analytics Applications book series (Taylor & Francis Group), as well as the Digital Transformation: Accelerating Organizational Intelligence book series (World Scientific Publishing). In October 2011, the International Association for Computer Information Systems named the “Jay Liebowitz Outstanding Student Research Award” for the best student research paper at the IACIS Annual Conference. Liebowitz was the Fulbright Visiting Research Chair in Business at Queen’s University for Summer 2017 and a Fulbright Specialist at Dalarna University in Sweden in May 2019. He is in the top 2% of the top scientists in the world, according to a 2019 Stanford study. As of 2021, he is the visiting distinguished professor at the International School for Social and Business Studies in Slovenia. His recent books are: Data Analytics and AI (Taylor & Francis Group, 2021), The Business of Pandemics: The COVID-19 Story (Taylor & Francis, 2021), A Research Agenda for Knowledge Management and Analytics (Elgar, 2021), Online Learning Analytics (Taylor & Francis Group, 2022), Digital Transformation for the University of the Future (World Scientific, 2022), and Cryptocurrency Concepts, Technology, and Applications (Taylor & Francis Group, 2023), Pivoting Government Through Digital Transformation (Taylor & Francis Group, 2024), and Developing the Intuitive Executive: Using Analytics and Intuition for Success (Taylor & Francis Group, 2024). His newest book, Regulating Hate Speech Created by Generative AI, was published by Taylor & Francis Group in August 2024. He has also lectured and consulted worldwide.