- A
Autonomy
Why wrong: Autonomy respects user decisions, but the issue is harm.
- B
Justice
Why wrong: Justice is about fairness, not directly about causing harm.
- C
Beneficence
Why wrong: Beneficence is about doing good, not avoiding harm.
- D
Non-maleficence
Non-maleficence requires avoiding harm.
Question 64 of 1,000
Non-Maleficence: The 'Do No Harm' Principle in AI
This AI0-001 practice question tests your understanding of ai security, ethics and governance. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A social media company's AI recommendation system pushes extreme content to users, causing harm. Which ethical principle is most violated?
Quick Answer
The answer is non-maleficence, the ethical principle most violated when an AI recommendation system pushes extreme content that causes harm. This principle, rooted in the phrase “do no harm,” requires that AI systems be designed to avoid causing foreseeable injury or distress to users, which is directly breached when an algorithm amplifies harmful material for engagement. On the CompTIA AI+ AI0-001 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish non-maleficence from beneficence (doing good), autonomy (user choice), and justice (fairness)—a common trap is confusing it with beneficence, but remember that harm outweighs any potential good here. A useful memory tip: think of non-maleficence as the “first, do no harm” rule from medicine, applied to AI ethics.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Non-maleficence
Non-maleficence (do no harm) is the principle most directly violated because the AI system actively causes harm by pushing extreme content that damages users' mental health or incites harmful behavior. Unlike beneficence (doing good), non-maleficence focuses on avoiding harm, and the system's design fails to prevent foreseeable negative outcomes.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Autonomy
Why it's wrong here
Autonomy respects user decisions, but the issue is harm.
- ✗
Justice
Why it's wrong here
Justice is about fairness, not directly about causing harm.
- ✗
Beneficence
Why it's wrong here
Beneficence is about doing good, not avoiding harm.
- ✓
Non-maleficence
Why this is correct
Non-maleficence requires avoiding harm.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
CompTIA often tests the distinction between beneficence and non-maleficence, where candidates mistakenly choose beneficence because they think the system failed to do good, but the actual violation is causing direct harm.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In AI recommendation systems, non-maleficence is operationalized through safety filters, content moderation thresholds, and adversarial testing to prevent amplification of harmful material. A real-world scenario is the YouTube recommendation algorithm that was found to push users toward increasingly radical content, violating non-maleficence by prioritizing engagement metrics over user well-being. Under the hood, this involves reinforcement learning from user clicks, which can create feedback loops that escalate content extremity without explicit harm checks.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the AI0-001 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AI0-001 question test?
AI Security, Ethics and Governance — This question tests AI Security, Ethics and Governance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Non-maleficence — Non-maleficence (do no harm) is the principle most directly violated because the AI system actively causes harm by pushing extreme content that damages users' mental health or incites harmful behavior. Unlike beneficence (doing good), non-maleficence focuses on avoiding harm, and the system's design fails to prevent foreseeable negative outcomes.
What should I do if I get this AI0-001 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This AI0-001 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the AI0-001 exam.
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