AI Ethics and Machine Ethics

ArXiv, 2021

The 4th edition of the Montreal AI Ethics Institute's The State of AI Ethics captures the most relevant developments in the field of AI Ethics since January 2021. This report aims to help anyone, from machine learning experts to human rights activists and policymakers, quickly digest and understand the ever-changing developments in the field. Through research and article summaries, as well as expert commentary, this report distills the research and reporting surrounding various domains related to the ethics of AI, with a particular focus on four key themes: Ethical AI, Fairness&Justice, Humans&Tech, and Privacy. In addition, The State of AI Ethics includes exclusive content written by world-class AI Ethics experts from universities, research institutes, consulting firms, and governments. Opening the report is a long-form piece by Edward Higgs (Professor of History, University of Essex) titled"AI and the Face: A Historian's View."In it, Higgs examines the unscientif...

Minds and Machines, 2017

Research into the ethics of artificial intelligence is often categorized into two subareas-robot ethics and machine ethics. Many of the definitions and classifications of the subject matter of these subfields, as found in the literature, are conflated, which I seek to rectify. In this essay, I infer that using the term 'machine ethics' is too broad and glosses over issues that the term computational ethics best describes. I show that the subject of inquiry of computational ethics is of great value and indeed is an important frontier in developing ethical artificial intelligence systems (AIS). I also show that computational is a distinct, often neglected field in the ethics of AI. In contrast to much of the literature, I argue that the appellation 'machine ethics' does not sufficiently capture the entire project of embedding ethics into AI/S and hence the need for computational ethics. This essay is unique for two reasons; first, it offers a philosophical analysis of the subject of computational ethics that is not found in the literature. Second, it offers a finely grained analysis that shows the thematic distinction among robot ethics, machine ethics and computational ethics.

2022

The paper presents an ethical analysis and constructive critique of the current practice of AI ethics. It identifies conceptual substantive and procedural challenges and it outlines strategies to address them. The strategies include countering the hype and understanding AI as ubiquitous infrastructure including neglected issues of ethics and justice such as structural background injustices into the scope of AI ethics and making the procedures and fora of AI ethics more inclusive and better informed with regard to philosophical ethics. These measures integrate the perspective of AI justice into AI ethics, strengthening its capacity to provide comprehensive normative orientation and guidance for the development and use of AI that actually improves human lives and living together. People around the globe increasingly encounter, use and benefit from AI in their daily lives in one form or another. AI-based applications range from web-based maps and navigation services to digital behavioural technologies such as mobile health apps, from recommender algorithms in online stores to parking aids, and AI-based services in policing, the legal system, etc. Also, less exciting but tedious taskssuch as analysing immense amounts of data in different domains, or determining the next date for a maintenance check of a machine-can, fortunately, increasingly be done by AI-based systems, relieving humans from burdensome work. Once they are well set up, such AI-based systems work quickly and effectively through vast amounts of data that cannot be handled by humans. And they do so more reliably than humans because machines-unlike humans-are not distracted by fatigue, hunger or the like. AI figures among the most advanced tools humanity has developed to date, yet its potential for future development remains vast. That is why the High-Level Expert * Jan-Christoph Heilinger

2023

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a rapidly advancing technology that permeates human life at various levels. It evokes hopes for a better, easier, and more exciting life, while also instilling fears about the future without humans. AI has become part of our daily lives, supporting fields such as medicine, customer service, finance, and justice systems; providing entertainment, and driving innovation across diverse fields of knowledge. Some even argue that we have entered the “AI era.” However, AI is not solely a matter of technological progress. We already witness its positive and negative impact on individuals and societies. Hence, it is crucial to examine the primary challenges posed by AI, which is the subject of AI ethics. In this paper, I present the key challenges that emerged in the literature and require ethical reflection. These include the issues of data privacy and security, the problem of AI biases resulting from social, technical, or socio-technical factors, and the challenges associated with using AI for prediction of human behavior (particularly in the context of the justice system). I also discuss existing approaches to AI ethics within the framework of technological regulations and policymaking, presenting concrete ways in which ethics can be implemented in practice. Drawing on the functioning of other scientific and technological fields, such as gene editing, the development of automobile and aviation industries, I highlight the lessons we can learn from how they function to later apply it to how AI is introduced in societies. In the final part of the paper, I analyze two case studies to illustrate the ethical challenges related to recruitment algorithms and risk assessment tools in the criminal justice system. The objective of this work is to contribute to the sustainable development of AI by promoting human-centered, societal, and ethical approaches to its advancement. Such approach seeks to maximize the benefits derived from AI while simultaneously mitigating its diverse negative consequences.

AI & SOCIETY, 2017

The advent of the intelligent robot has occupied a significant position in society over the past decades and has given rise to new issues in society. As we know, the primary aim of artificial intelligence or robotic research is not only to develop advanced programs to solve our problems but also to reproduce mental qualities in machines. The critical claim of artificial intelligence (AI) advocates is that there is no distinction between mind and machines and thus they argue that there are possibilities for machine ethics, just as human ethics. Unlike computer ethics, which has traditionally focused on ethical issues surrounding human use of machines, AI or machine ethics is concerned with the behaviour of machines towards human users and perhaps other machines as well, and the ethicality of these interactions. The ultimate goal of machine ethics, according to the AI scientists, is to create a machine that itself follows an ideal ethical principle or a set of principles; that is to say, it is guided by this principle or these principles in decisions it makes about possible courses of action it could take. Thus, machine ethics task of ensuring ethical behaviour of an artificial agent. Although, there are many philosophical issues related to artificial intelligence, but our attempt in this paper is to discuss, first, whether ethics is the sort of thing that can be computed. Second, if we are ascribing mind to machines, it gives rise to ethical issues regarding machines. And if we are not drawing the difference between mind and machines, we are not only redefining specifically human mind but also the society as a whole. Having a mind is, among other things, having the capacity to make voluntary decisions and actions. The notion of mind is central to our ethical thinking, and this is because the human mind is self-conscious, and this is a property that machines lack, as yet.

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), 2023

The artificial intelligence (AI) left science fiction movies to become part of the reality, present in our daily routine. We increasingly use services controlled by this technology, which start to interact more strongly with our lives. The utilization of AI-equipped tools and softwares compel society to reflect not only about the pertinence of its use, but above all on the ethical limits that must be respected so that the fundamental rights are preserved. The utilization of AI as a mean to facial identification to give access to services or even to locate fugitives from justice, as well as the use of autonomous cars and weapons, controlled by smart softwares, demands an open and straight debate about what we will (and should) allow such equipment to do, not only replacing the humans in action diagnosis, but effectively taking decisions and acting as protagonists of social reality. It's not possible that we can dispense the use of such technological means. Thus, more than ever, the social and scientific debate must be oriented towards imposing limits and reservations, not only to the development of these means. It is needed to question: are we willing to give up our intimacy and privacy in order to have a more technologically active life? In this sense, the dialogue between researchers and thinkers from different states about the subject is more and more necessary each day. Because despite the natural differences between the countries and their respective societies, the challenges are common and tend to demand shared solutions.

If workable codes or guidance on ethics and AI are to be produced, the distinctive ethical challenges of AI need to be faced head on. The purpose of this paper is to identify several major areas where AI raises distinctive or acute ethical challenges, with a view to beginning an analysis of challenges and opportunities for progress in these areas. Seven areas described are: Hype in AI, and its unfortunate consequences; The interface between technology and wider social or human factors; Uncertainty about future technological development and its impact on society; Underlying philosophical questions; Professional vulnerability in the face of emerging technology; An additional layer of complexity in ethical codes, concerning machine behaviour; The extension, enhancement, or replacement of core elements of human agency.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping our world. As AI systems become increasingly autonomous and integrated into various sectors, fundamental ethical issues such as accountability, transparency, bias, and privacy are exacerbated or morph into new forms. This introduction provides an overview of the current ethical landscape of AI. It explores the pressing need to address biases in AI systems, protect individual privacy, ensure transparency and accountability, and manage the broader societal impacts of AI on labour markets, education, and social interactions. It also highlights the global nature of AI's challenges, such as its environmental impact and security risks, stressing the importance of international collaboration and culturally sensitive ethical guidelines. It then outlines three unprecedented challenges AI poses to copyright and intellectual property rights; individual autonomy through AI's "hypersuasion"; and our understanding of authenticity, originality, and creativity through the transformative impact of AI-generated content. The conclusion emphasises the importance of ongoing critical vigilance, imaginative conceptual design, and collaborative efforts between diverse stakeholders to deal with the ethical complexities of AI and shape a sustainable and socially preferable future. It underscores the crucial role of philosophy in identifying and analysing the most significant problems and designing convincing and feasible solutions, calling for a new, engaged, and constructive approach to philosophical inquiry in the digital age.