Ethics and the safety of autonomous systems

The ethical landscape surrounding the introduction of autonomous vehicles is complex, and there are real concerns over whether the operational safety of these systems can be adequately demonstrated. In this paper we focus on the ethical factors relevant to the design and safety justification of autonomous systems, considering issues such as risk transfer, ALARP considerations, capability vs risk trade-offs and emergent behaviours. We look beyond the "trolley problem” to consider how design decisions can reflect a wider ethical framework. We also look at the wider landscape around the emergence of autonomous systems, with a particular focus on the driving social factors which encourage early adoption of new technologies in this domain. We present some arguments for encouraging an explicit discussion of social and ethical factors within the safety framework for autonomous systems

Autonomous weapon systems and meaningful human control

Abstract. Autonomous weapon systems are an emerging technology that affects the lives of soldiers and civilians who operate or live in conflict zones. The ethical and humanitarian problem caused by the advent of artificial intelligence -based weapon systems capable of independently making decisions about target selection and engagement has led to substantial academic debate, with critics calling for a total ban on such weapons based on the grounds that their use will invariably lead to negative humanitarian consequences, while others have suggested that autonomous systems may, in some situations, be able to behave in a more humane fashion on the battlefield than human soldiers. This thesis analysed the current state of research on the topic of autonomous weapon systems through a literature review. The concepts of autonomous weapon system and meaningful human control were defined and explained. Arguments about the humanitarian consequences of developing these weapon systems, both positive and negative, were critically examined. A special focus was placed on examining the proposed methods and principles for designing autonomous weapon systems in a way that mitigates their potential negative humanitarian effects. The results of the literature review indicated that the concept of meaningful human control is the most prominent and promising principle to guide the design and development of autonomous weapon systems that adhere to the international humanitarian law. Value sensitive design was found to be a potential methodology for injecting human values into the design process of autonomous weapon systems

Prospectus and limitations of algorithmic governance: an ecological evaluation of algorithmic trends

© 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to offer a roadmap for work on the ethical and societal implications of algorithms and AI. Based on an analysis of the social, technical and regulatory challenges posed by algorithmic systems in Korea, this work conducts socioecological evaluations of the governance of algorithmic transparency and accountability. Design/methodology/approach: This paper analyzes algorithm design and development from critical socioecological angles: social, technological, cultural and industrial phenomena that represent the strategic interaction among people, technology and society, touching on sensitive issues of a legal, a cultural and an ethical nature. Findings: Algorithm technologies are a part of a social ecosystem, and its development should be based on user interests and rights within a social and cultural milieu. An algorithm represents an interrelated, multilayered ecosystem of networks, protocols, applications, services, practices and users. Practical implications: Value-sensitive algorithm design is proposed as a novel approach for designing algorithms. As algorithms have become a constitutive technology that shapes human life, it is essential to be aware of the value-ladenness of algorithm development. Human values and social issues can be reflected in an algorithm design. Originality/value: The arguments in this study help ensure the legitimacy and effectiveness of algorithms. This study provides insight into the challenges and opportunities of algorithms through the lens of a socioecological analysis: political discourse, social dynamics and technological choices inherent in the development of algorithm-based ecology

Lethal Autonomous Weapons: Designing War Machines with Values

Lethal Autonomous Weapons (LAWs) have becomes the subject of continuous debate both at national and international levels. Arguments have been proposed both for the development and use of LAWs as well as their prohibition from combat landscapes. Regardless, the development of LAWs continues in numerous nation-states. This paper builds upon previous philosophical arguments for the development and use of LAWs and proposes a design framework that can be used to ethically direct their development. The conclusion is that the philosophical arguments that underpin the adoption of LAWs rather than not, although prima facie insufficient, can be actualized through the proposed Value Sensitive Design (VSD) approach. Hence, what is proposed is a principled design approach that can be used to embed stakeholder values into a design, encourage stakeholder cooperation and coordination and as a result promote social acceptance of LAWs as a preferable future fact of war

An Evaluation Schema for the Ethical Use of Autonomous Robotic Systems in Security Applications

We propose a multi-step evaluation schema designed to help procurement agencies and others to examine the ethical dimensions of autonomous systems to be applied in the security sector, including autonomous weapons systems

Ethical guidelines for nudging in information security & privacy

There has recently been an upsurge of interest in the deployment of behavioural economics techniques in the information security and privacy domain. In this paper, we consider first the nature of one particular intervention, the nudge, and the way it exercises its influence. We contemplate the ethical ramifications of nudging, in its broadest sense, deriving general principles for ethical nudging from the literature. We extrapolate these principles to the deployment of nudging in information security and privacy. We explain how researchers can use these guidelines to ensure that they satisfy the ethical requirements during nudge trials in information security and privacy. Our guidelines also provide guidance to ethics review boards that are required to evaluate nudge-related research

Farmer Consumer Partnerships - How to successfully communicate the values of organic food

As the popularity of organic food increases, many organic businesses are facing ever greater competition in the marketplace. And in a world where more and more organic products are mass produced, and where most consumers have little - if any - contact with the organic farmers who have produced their food, many people feel that the underlying principles of the organic movement are coming under increasing threat. Yet research shows that there is growing interest among today's consumers in the wider ethical principles which underpin organic agriculture. They want fairer working conditions; they want to support disadvantaged societal groups, higher standards of animal welfare, and the preservation of tradition and landscapes through their purchasing decisions - and they are willing to pay more for products which support this 'added value'. This booklet provides farmers and processors with practical advice and case studies on how to target their marketing strategies to the growing number of 'ethical consumers', and how to improve their communication with their customers. This publication summarises the main results of the CORE Organic project 'Farmer Consumer Partnerships'. The research project aimed to determine how the commitment of organic farmers to ethical values can be communicated to customers in order to strengthen the companies positioning in the market

The moral psychology of Value Sensitive Design: the methodological issues of moral intuitions for responsible innovation

This paper argues that although moral intuitions are insufficient for making judgments on new technological innovations, they maintain great utility for informing responsible innovation. To do this, this paper employs the Value Sensitive Design (VSD) methodology as an illustrative example of how stakeholder values can be better distilled to inform responsible innovation. Further, it is argued that moral intuitions are necessary for determining stakeholder values required for the design of responsible technologies. This argument is supported by the claim that the moral intuitions of stakeholders allow designers to conceptualize stakeholder values and incorporate them into the early phases of design. It is concluded that design-for-values (DFV) frameworks like the VSD methodology can remain potent if developers adopt heuristic tools to diminish the influence of cognitive biases thus strengthening the reliability of moral intuitions

Imaginative Value Sensitive Design: How Moral Imagination Exceeds Moral Law Theories in Informing Responsible Innovation

Safe-by-Design (SBD) frameworks for the development of emerging technologies have become an ever more popular means by which scholars argue that transformative emerging technologies can safely incorporate human values. One such popular SBD methodology is called Value Sensitive Design (VSD). A central tenet of this design methodology is to investigate stakeholder values and design those values into technologies during early stage research and development (R&D). To accomplish this, the VSD framework mandates that designers consult the philosophical and ethical literature to best determine how to weigh moral trade-offs. However, the VSD framework also concedes the universalism of moral values, particularly the values of freedom, autonomy, equality trust and privacy justice. This paper argues that the VSD methodology, particularly applied to nano-bio-info-cogno (NBIC) technologies, has an insufficient grounding for the determination of moral values. As such, an exploration of the value-investigations of VSD are deconstructed to illustrate both its strengths and weaknesses. This paper also provides possible modalities for the strengthening of the VSD methodology, particularly through the application of moral imagination and how moral imagination exceed the boundaries of moral intuitions in the development of novel technologies

Helping Business Schools Engage with Real Problems: The Contribution of Critical Realism and Systems Thinking

The world faces major problems, not least climate change and the financial crisis, and business schools have been criticised for their failure to help address these issues and, in the case of the financial meltdown, for being causally implicated in it. In this paper we begin by describing the extent of what has been called the rigour/relevance debate. We then diagnose the nature of the problem in terms of historical, structural and contextual mechanisms that initiated and now sustain an inability of business schools to engage with real-world issues. We then propose a combination of measures, which mutually reinforce each other, that are necessary to break into this vicious circle – critical realism as an underpinning philosophy that supports and embodies the next points; holism and transdisciplinarity; multimethodology (mixed-methods research); and a critical and ethical-committed stance. OR and management science have much to contribute in terms of both powerful analytical methods and problem structuring methods