Ethics

  • Due Oct 16, 2020 by 11:59pm
  • Points 1
  • Submitting a file upload
  • File Types pdf
  • Available after Sep 24, 2020 at 9:55am

Thank you to Prof. Virgina Dignum, Umeå Univ. for suggesting this assignment.

This task is to fulfill the following subgoals of the course

Students should

  • Have reflected on and discussed ethical issues related to AI, autonomous systems and software and their own research

In this assignment you will work in your group. You can see which group you belong to by clicking on Groups in the leftmost blue menu (between Courses and Calendar). The groups are called WASP_AS2_M1, etc. 

You will work with an exercise referred to as the ethics canvas https://www.ethicscanvas.org. You can download the canvas here and there is a handbook here.

The handbook gives a good introduction to the issue which is quoted below.

Today: Currently, “ethics” in research and innovation is a very top-down process that relies on compliance. Researchers apply for ethics clearance, which is a bureaucratic process.

Problem: This model fits badly in the rapidly changing context of technological innovation. Ethics requirements differ greatly between jurisdictions and institutions, while our technological infrastructure is increasingly global and connected. Moreover, ethics is not simply about compliance, but requires active reflection during the design process.

Technological change: Technological innovations are changing the world faster than ever. At the same time, people are increasingly concerned about the ethical impacts of technologies. This has led to a damaged image of the tech-sector and rising concerns for policy makers.

Solution: The Ethics Canvas provides a tool that can be part of the solution to the problems that ethics in research and innovation faces. It allows researchers to reflect on the ethical impacts of their work.

Task

Step 1:

  • Each member in the group writes a brief description of their research (one page). Remember to write it so that someone with a completely different background can understand it. It is not about the fine details here but the high level view. This means that those of you that did not start yet on your research can simply describe the research field you will work in.
  • Try to identify possible ethical considerations connected to your research field, a specific project or application of your research. 

Step 2:

  • Circulate the research descriptions among the members to read.
  • As you read the research descriptions reflect on ethical considerations, both from your view point and what the person identified.

Step 3:

  • Read up on the ethical canvas (see links above)

Step 4:

  • Meet virtually and discuss the research projects.
  • Work through the ethics canvas for one research projects. It could be an entire PhD project or a research/industrial project you take part in.
  • Document this with a photo or electronic version of the resulting canvas.

 

What to submit:

A single pdf that contains

  • the research descriptions from Step 1
  • the canvas from Step 4

 

1602885599 10/16/2020 11:59pm