Who Is Responsible and Accountable in the Age of AI and Social Media?

I flew from Colorado to Edmonton, Canada many years ago, strapped into the back seat of a USAF T-33, to fix another T-33 with starting problems. Nothing unusual—I was an experienced power and control specialist who had fixed dozens of engine startup systems. It took less than an hour for me to fix the problem and the pilot to check the results with an engine start. We signed off the log entry and made plans to return home at first light.

I walked out to the plane early next morning. Our wing’s chief test pilot met me, asked a few questions, and performed a control surfaces check. We took off minutes later and broke through a low cloud ceiling to a breathtaking sunrise. The view from the bubble canopy was surreal—pure gold and blue stretching to the horizon. Wow!

USAF T-33 Aircraft - Public Domain - Courtesy Alejandro Pena - FOX 52

The pilot’s voice snapped me to reality as he casually asked if I was sure the problem was fixed. “Yes, sir!” I confidently answered. His next words caught me by surprise, “That’s great, because I’m about to perform an air start.” It meant shutting down and restarting the engine at altitude. I barely managed a nervous mumble before everything went quiet. The silence was jarring. The aircraft jolted, slowed, and began to glide, which was little comfort. The joke was that the T-33 had the glide angle of a brick.

The pilot’s voice broke the silence, “Well, let’s see if you got it right.” I listened intently for the “shiss-kish-kish” of the exciters, the whoosh of the engine, and a reassuring jolt on my back. It worked as expected! Then the pilot calmly asked, “How did it feel back there?” I mumbled, “Great, sir!” Then he made his point: “We place our lives in your hands every time you fix a plane.” That moment, thousands of feet in the air, made personal responsibility and accountability crystal clear in principle and practice. It’s been with me ever since.

We can’t teach AI to be human, ethical, responsible, and morally accountable. Liability is a murky principle and process, often at odds with personal and organizational ethics. Beyond technology, tradeoffs between financial considerations, people, organizational cultures, and quality of care are casting long shadows leading to patient and clinician mistrust and dissatisfaction. These complicated ‘factors’ lack the power and clarity I felt at altitude many years ago. What do you think? Please comment.