responsibilis

Responsibilis is a term used in moral philosophy and systems design to describe the state or quality of being responsible within complex sociotechnical systems. It functions as a framework for distributing accountability and duties across humans, machines, organizations, and institutions, rather than attributing responsibility to a single actor. The word is a modern neologism derived from the Latin root "respondere" and the adjectival form "responsibilis," intended to convey both moral and functional responsibility.

Definition and scope: Responsibilis distinguishes two dimensions of responsibility. Moral responsibility covers blame or praise for outcomes, while functional responsibility concerns the assignment of roles, decision rights, and duties necessary to achieve goals. In practice, a responsibilis approach seeks traceability, clarity, and adaptability across a process lifecycle, so that actors can be held to appropriate expectations without oversimplifying accountability.

Applications and methods: In corporate governance and public policy, responsibilis-inspired methods use responsibility matrices to map who can decide, who should be consulted, and who must be informed at each stage. In software and AI development, it supports accountability by design, promoting transparency, auditability, and remedy procedures for harms caused by automated systems.

Origins and debates: The term gained traction in late 2000s and 2010s discussions on sociotechnical systems, responsible innovation, and AI ethics. Proponents argue that it helps align incentives and reduce diffusion of blame, while critics warn that it can create ambiguity if roles are not clearly defined or enforced.

See also: accountability; responsibility; ethical design; responsible AI.