What is a Framework?
Before we can talk about ethical frameworks, one word has to be clear. And you have already used a framework in this unit without anyone calling it that.
1Framework
2What a framework gives you
- Order. You know what to do first and what comes next, so nothing important is skipped.
- Completeness. It makes sure every relevant factor is taken into account, not just the ones you happened to think of.
- A shared language. Two people working on the same project can say “we are at the data exploration stage” and mean exactly the same thing.
- Consistency. Everyone solving a problem this way solves it the same way, so good practice spreads.
A recipe
3You have already used one
The AI Project Cycle is a framework. Six steps, in order, that take you from a vague idea to a working project without missing anything out. That is precisely the definition above.
Tap a stage to stand on it, or press play and watch the work go round. Drag sideways to turn.
Six stages: Problem Scoping → Data Acquisition → Data Exploration → Modelling → Evaluation → Deployment.
4From the board papers
(a) Step-by-step guidance (b) Random solutions (c) Legal advice (d) Ethical justificationsCBSE sample paper 2025–26 (also in the Class X textbook)
▶Show the answer
(a) Step-by-step guidance. Note that (d) is the trap — ethical justification is what an ethical framework adds. A framework by itself is just the steps.
5Check yourself
A framework is best described as:
Which of these is a framework you have already met?