Committee on Professional Ethics Seeks Input

Matthew Rotelli, Chair, and Jennifer Van Mullekom, Vice-Chair, Committee on Professional Ethics

The American Statistical Association Committee on Professional Ethics has an opportunity for association members to contribute to the next iteration of the ASA Ethical Guidelines for Statistical Practice.

A set of ethical guidelines for statisticians was formalized by the committee in 1989. They have been updated a number of times since then, with the first version being approved by the ASA Board in 1999. The most recent update was approved by the board in 2022. That version adapted the guidelines to include all those who engage in statistical practice, regardless of job title, profession, level, or field of degree.

Members of the committee are seeking input through the end of 2025 for the next update, which will occur in 2026 and be released in 2027. Statistics, data science, and artificial intelligence are introducing new ethical challenges as applications and methods evolve.

Complete the online form and help shape ethics in the profession. Comment on one or all of the current principles; however, the committee encourages comments on the introduction of additional principles, particularly with the advancement of AI/ML automation in data systems.

The Committee on Professional Ethics was established in 1986 and given the following three charges from the ASA Board:

1. To provide a point of contact with other societies and associations in the area of professional ethics
2. To develop and implement a program of education sensitizing members of the ASA to the ethical issues in statistical practice and in other fields in which statistics is used
3. To maintain and promulgate, subject to board review and approval, the set of ASA Ethical Guidelines that describes the general view of ethics in statistical practice and develop and maintain supplements to the ethical guidelines for areas of application that give an understanding of ethical statistical practice as it applies to that area (e.g., law or medicine)

Note: The Committee does not have the authority to act on, rule on, or arbitrate ethical matters.

Most recently, the committee partnered with the ASA Committee on Data Science and Artificial Intelligence to develop a board statement on ethical AI principles for statistical practitioners and hosted a webinar discussion about the topic with Andrew Gelman from Columbia University and Jana Eggers, CEO of the AI company Nara Logics.