This guest blog was written by Adrienne M. Jennings, Kwadwo Britwum, Kelly King, Anna Pleassas, Andrea Murray, Beth Garrison, and Beth Ramos
The Artificial Intelligence Consortium for Applied Behavior Analysis (AIC-ABA) is a volunteer group of behavior analysts dedicated to the responsible integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into the field. Formed in response to the ethical AI gap identified by Cox and Jennings (2023) and Jennings and Cox (2023), the AIC-ABA builds on that foundational work with a comprehensive, evolving framework and practical guidance for ethical decision-making regarding the use of AI. Founded in March 2024, the consortium set out to develop clear guidelines for the ethical and effective use of AI in ABA service delivery.
The AIC-ABA’s goal is to support the field by identifying best practices to ensure responsible AI implementation in the profession. These ethical best practices are intended to safeguard the rights and welfare of individuals receiving ABA services, align with professional and legal requirements, and maintain the integrity of the profession. The guidelines address key areas including:
- informed consent
- data privacy
- scope of competence
- supervision of AI-assisted services
- transparency with clients and collaborators
- equity and bias mitigation
- and the irreplaceable role of professional judgement in ABA practice.
Through collaboration with professional organizations like the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI), we are disseminating resources to individuals providing behavior-analytic services across clinical, research, and other applied domains. We have shared our work across two ABAI webinars (August 2025, March 2026), along with presentations at WIBA in 2025, APBA in 2026, and the New Zealand Association for Behaviour Analysis in 2025 to name a few.
When AIC-ABA first began exploring this area, we had a lot of questions:
How do we protect client data? How do we ensure AI doesn’t replace professional judgment? What about bias? What’s our responsibility when using AI-generated content?
To guide our efforts, we turned to well-established ethical frameworks (Beauchamp & Childress, 1979; National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research, 1979) and AI governance from related healthcare fields (e.g., American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development).
The “Artificial Intelligence and Behavior Analysis: Guidelines for Ethical Use” provide recommendations to support behavior analysts, consultants, researchers, users, and developers of AI applications across behavior analytic services.
Our next efforts involve translating the guidelines into accessible, practitioner-focused resources, decision aids, and case-based vignettes to support the development of AI literacy and the establishment of ethical decision-making habits around AI use. Our mission includes ongoing collaboration with training programs, credentialing bodies, and practitioners to evaluate and embed these resources in pre-service and continuing education activities.
The AIC-ABA believe AI is not a passing trend in healthcare or education, and behavior analysis will not be exempt from its transformative effects. The AIC-ABA (2025) guidelines represent a comprehensive framework for ethical AI adoption grounded in the science of behavior and oriented towards protecting those we serve in both service delivery and research. We invite behavior analysts, researchers, supervisors, graduate training programs, and allied professionals to join this effort.
Visit the AIC-ABA website to access the guidelines, sign up for updates, and learn how you can contribute. The ethical use of AI in behavior analysis is a shared responsibility, and it starts with all of us.
References
Beauchamp, T, L., Childress, J, F. (1994). Principles of biomedical ethics (4th Edition). New York: Oxford University Press.
Cox, D. J., & Jennings, A. M. (2023). The promises and possibilities of artificial intelligence in the delivery of behavior analytic services. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 17(1), 123–136. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-023-00864-3
Jennings, A. M., & Cox, D. J. (2023). Starting the conversation around the ethical use of artificial intelligence in applied behavior analysis. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 17(1), 107–122. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-023-00868-z
National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research. (1979). The Belmont report: Ethical principles and guidelines for the protection of human subjects of research. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/regulations-and-policy/belmont-report/read-the-belmont-report/index.html