75 research outputs found
Does the End Justify the Means?:On the Moral Justification of Fairness-Aware Machine Learning
Despite an abundance of fairness-aware machine learning (fair-ml) algorithms,
the moral justification of how these algorithms enforce fairness metrics is
largely unexplored. The goal of this paper is to elicit the moral implications
of a fair-ml algorithm. To this end, we first consider the moral justification
of the fairness metrics for which the algorithm optimizes. We present an
extension of previous work to arrive at three propositions that can justify the
fairness metrics. Different from previous work, our extension highlights that
the consequences of predicted outcomes are important for judging fairness. We
draw from the extended framework and empirical ethics to identify moral
implications of the fair-ml algorithm. We focus on the two optimization
strategies inherent to the algorithm: group-specific decision thresholds and
randomized decision thresholds. We argue that the justification of the
algorithm can differ depending on one's assumptions about the (social) context
in which the algorithm is applied - even if the associated fairness metric is
the same. Finally, we sketch paths for future work towards a more complete
evaluation of fair-ml algorithms, beyond their direct optimization objectives
The cubicle warrior: the marionette of the digitalized warfare
In the last decade we have entered the era of remote controlled military technology. The excitement about this new technology should not mask the ethical questions that it raises. A fundamental ethical question is who may be held responsible for civilian deaths. In this paper we will discuss the role of the human operator or so-called âcubicle warriorâ, who remotely controls the military robots behind visual interfaces. We will argue that the socio-technical system conditions the cubicle warrior to dehumanize the enemy. As a result the cubicle warrior is morally disengaged from his destructive and lethal actions. This challenges what he should know to make responsible decisions (the so-called knowledge condition). Nowadays and in the near future, three factors will influence and may increase the moral disengagement even further due to the decrease of locus of control orientation: (1) photo shopping the war; (2) the moralization of technology; (3) the speed of decision-making. As a result, cubicle warriors cannot be held reasonably responsible anymore for the decisions they make
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