External Harms Taxonomy

Defining "harm"

AIAAIC defines harm as "Hurt, damage, degradation or loss to people, property or things." 

• Hurt: physical, emotional or mental pain

• Damage: injury to a person, property or reputation

• Degradation: decline in quality, performance, dignity or standing

• Loss: detriment, disadvantage or deprivation from failure to keep, have or get

• People: includes individuals and groups of people

• Property: includes tangible property, such as vehicles and machinery, and intangible property, such as digital assets and intellectual property

• Things: includes tangible things, such as animals and the environment, and intangible things, such as trust in an institution or process

More complex entities (e.g. societies, communities, cultures, organisations, businesses, systems and processes) comprise combinations of people, property and/or things.

Categorising harms

Each entry to the AIAAIC Repository is categorised according to the classifications below:

Individual

The deliberate or negligent impact(s) of a system on individuals or small groups of people using it or exposed to its misuse, including:

• Damage to physical property

• Damage to physical health and safety

• Psychological damage

• Personal agency/autonomy loss

• Chilling effect 

• Discrimination

• IP and identity loss

• Personal data loss

• Limitation or loss of rights and freedoms

• Financial loss

• Reputational damage.

Societal

The impact of a system on an organisation, physical community, or society, including:

• Damage to economic, social, and political systems/stability

• Damage to national security

• Damage to social infrastructure eg. transport, energy systems

• Damage to business operations and infrastructure

• Damage to public health

• Loss of community well-being and cohesion.

Environmental

The impact of a system on the environment, including: 

• Air pollution

• Water pollution

• Water shortages

• Energy shortages

• Excessive carbon emissions

• Excessive landfill

• Ground pollution

• Ecological/biodiversity damage.