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What Is Computer Ethics?
Computer Ethics is a practical kind of philosophy that is aimed at investigating how computer technologies should be used. It has accompanied the development of these technologies for over half a century. One of the leading figures in this field has been Deborah G. Johnson, whose agenda-setting handbook on Computer Ethics has inspired generations of scholars to explore the new ethical questions that these technologies raise. In 2021, Johnson was awarded the Society of Philosophy of Technology Lifetime Achievement Award for her outstanding contribution to computer and engineering ethics. In recognition of this award and her research on Computer Ethics, this edited volume brings together philosophers and scholars from other disciplines including computer scientists, cognitive scientists, and STS scholars, who have engaged with Johnson’s extensive body of work. Some of the contributors, such as van den Hoven and Miller, have helped shape the field of computer ethics, while contributors from later generations who benefitted from the work of these trailblazers are following their path and further exploring and expanding on their legacy. The volume seeks to introduce the lessons learned from Computer Ethics to a broader audience of scholars from different disciplines and show how they still resonate in today’s ethical discussions about new emerging computer technologies. Each chapter illustrates how combining philosophy of technology, ethics, and different disciplinary perspectives can help analyze and clarify the complex intricacies of computer technology and societies. The common thread in these chapters is a focus on issues of algorithmic accountability. As the only (for now) full-fledged moral agents, humans are called to action to discuss, propose, negotiate, and implement ethical ways to use computers, which obviously and most importantly include attribution of responsibility when something goes wrong. This introductory chapter situates Johnson’s work within the broader discussion on Computer Ethics and provides short summaries of the contributions to this volume.
Right to health, data protection and AI - State of the art (law, Ethics) and future projections
“AI Ethics”, “Digital Ethics” or “Corporate Digital Responsibility”—ethics in business, especially with the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), is now in vogue. But how, if at all, can ethicists meaningfully contribute to practical business challenges? I examine the value that resources from moral philosophy can bring to ethical issues in business, particularly the technology sector. I show that there is a specific need for sharpened ethical acumen in so-called “grey areas”, in which laws and regulation do not provide definite answers to the ethical challenges businesses face. I argue that ethicists can distinctively help businesses navigate grey areas by strengthening their ethical capabilities and functions, which concern an organization’s ethical awareness, deliberation, decision-making, and commitment. I conclude by discussing some practical examples of how ethicists can strengthen these capabilities.
This article traces the historical development of the ethics of emerging technologies. It argues that during the late 2000s and 2010s, the field of ethics of technology transformed from a fragmented, reactive, and methodologically underdeveloped discipline focused on mature technologies and lacking policy orientation into a more cohesive, proactive, methodologically sophisticated, and policy-focused field with a strong emphasis on emerging technologies. An agenda for this transition was set in Jim Moor’s seminal publication “Why We Need Better Ethics for Emerging Technologies”.
This study proposed an Environment-Based Design (EBDEA) to develop a draft of information literacy assessment criteria (ILAC), to improve the efficiency of developing ILAC. The approach is validated using two methods. Firstly, a case study is conducted to create ILAC for K-12 students by the EBDEA, resulting in four first-tier and 21 s-tier criteria. These were compared with the ILAC from the International Association for Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). The comparison revealed a high degree of consistency between the two sets of ILAC, with the EBDEA-generated ILAC including several additional items that are integral to the criteria but absent in IEA's version. Subsequently, expert evaluation was employed to affirm the effectiveness of the EBDEA, with the majority of experts expressing satisfaction with the ILAC developed via this method. The findings indicate that EBDEA is an efficient approach for developing ILAC, requiring less time and fewer human resources.
Integrating ethics education in human-computer interaction (HCI) programs is critical to training responsible industry practitioners. Yet, there is a lack of practical educator-focused resources, which facilitate reflection on personal approaches to ethics education. We conducted a series of nine generative participatory workshops with 15 educators to explore, design and seek feedback on the Ethics Reflexivity Canvas as a pedagogical resource. The canvas makes the educator and learner positionality explicit to develop ethical sensitivity, sensitise and situate a pedagogical plan, and iterate and adapt over time. However, our findings suggest that educators experience tensions, depending on their pedagogical approach. We contribute insight on how resources can align with education work in HCI, help educators reflect on a plurality of approaches to ethics, use accessible language to stimulate curiosity towards ethics, and provide scaffolding to operationalize collaborative and personal exploration.
Around the turn of this century a number of emerging technologies were in the news, raising some potentially significant ethical questions. Given that they were emerging they as yet had no, or very few, impacts, so it was not obvious how best to assess them ethically. Jim Moor addressed this issue and offered three suggestions for a better ethics for emerging technologies. His first was that ethics should be dynamic, that is, it should be an ongoing process before, during and after the technological development. Second, there should be close collaboration between the researchers and developers on the one hand, and ethicists and social scientists on the other. Finally, ethical analyses should be more sophisticated. In this paper I argue that environmental issues and the questioning of core ethical values should be a central part of the ethics of emerging technologies, using AI examples. Given the kind of beings that we are, technology and the environment are closely connected for human flourishing.
Background Airway Pressure Release Ventilation (APRV), particularly with the Time-Controlled Adaptive Ventilation (TCAV) protocol, is known to improve oxygenation and respiratory mechanics. However, its role in managing refractory hypercapnia remains underexplored. This case report highlights APRV with TCAV as a potential strategy to tackle refractory hypercapnia. Case Report A 43-year-old woman with acute hypoxic and hypercapnic respiratory failure was admitted to our intensive care unit. Over the first 24 hours of management via conventional ventilation modes, she progressed to refractory hypercapnia, leading us to initiate modified APRV settings with TCAV protocol on the Puritan Bennett 980 ventilator (PB 980). This intervention led to rapid improvement in PaCO2, successful transition to PSV, and eventual liberation. Discussion Our literature review revealed limited research on the use of higher controlled respiratory rates in APRV with TCAV. This case demonstrates the potential of this approach, emphasizing the importance of adhering to TCAV principles while optimizing respiratory rate settings. Additionally, we provide insights into APRV titration on the PB 980. Conclusion This report supports the use of APRV with higher controlled respiratory rates, adhering to TCAV protocols, as an effective strategy for managing refractory hypercapnia. Further research is warranted to establish evidence-based guidelines. Keywords: CPAP, Time-Controlled Adaptive Ventilation (TCAV), Refractory Hypercapnia, Ventilation Strategies, Airway Pressure Release Ventilation (APRV)
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