Artificial Intelligence and the Ethics and Practice of Evaluation

Artificial intelligence (AI) presents both profound opportunities and unprecedented challenges for the evaluation profession. These remain insufficiently examined. As is evident from previous chapters, evaluators embrace AI for data analysis, evidence synthesis, and decision support. This chapter examines three critical consequences: the reconfiguration of agency and responsibility; the epistemic risks of relinquishing human interpretive authority; and the impacts of Global North dominance in AI development. This chapter argues for engaging with AI ethics before AI-led reasoning becomes institutionally embedded. We suggest that evaluative practice risks evolving from reflective human inquiry into procedural algorithmic compliance, altering evidence-based decision-making, learning, and accountability.