Full Detailed Explanation (250–300 words):

The correct answer is A. AI systems should treat people fairly.

This statement aligns with one of Microsoft’s six Responsible AI principles, which are:

Fairness – AI systems should treat all people fairly and avoid bias.

Reliability and Safety

Privacy and Security

Inclusiveness

Transparency

Accountability

The principle of Fairness ensures that AI models do not discriminate based on factors such as race, gender, age, or socioeconomic background. For example, a loan approval or hiring model must provide equal opportunity to all qualified applicants regardless of demographic differences.

B (Not revealing design details) contradicts Transparency, which promotes openness about AI functionality.

C (Black-box models) goes against Microsoft’s push for Explainable AI.

D (Protect developers’ interests) is not part of Microsoft’s Responsible AI framework.

Therefore, the verified correct answer is A. AI systems should treat people fairly.