Lesson 1. Ethical Considerations

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Lesson Notes

Ethics

Ethics, also called moral philosophy, explores questions about what is right and wrong. It examines the principles that guide our moral judgments and how we make decisions. Essentially, ethics helps us understand how to live well and consider what benefits individuals and society.

Ethics deals with fundamental questions such as:

• How should we live?
• Shall we aim at happiness, knowledge, virtue, or the creation of beautiful objects?
• Is it right to be dishonest in a good cause?
• Can we justify living in opulence while elsewhere in the world people are starving?
• Is going to war justified in cases where it is likely that innocent people will be killed?
• Is it wrong to clone a human being or to destroy human embryos in medical research?

Ethics encompasses the fundamental issues of practical decision making, exploring questions of ultimate value and the standards by which human actions can be judged right or wrong.

Ethics in Computer Science is a critical area of discussion. As technology continues to shape our lives, it's essential to address the following ethical issues:

1. Privacy and Data Security: Ensuring the safety of personal data is crucial. Hacking attempts, data breaches, and unauthorized access to sensitive information are ethical concerns.
2. Systemic Bias and Algorithmic Fairness: Algorithms can perpetuate biases present in their training data. It's essential to develop fair and unbiased algorithms to avoid discriminatory outcomes.
3. Intellectual Property and Copyright: Respect for intellectual property rights is crucial. Unauthorized use of copyrighted material or plagiarism can have legal and ethical implications.
4. Safety and Responsibility in Technology Development: As new technologies emerge (e.g., driverless cars), safety becomes paramount. Ethical decisions may involve prioritizing passenger safety over other road users. Responsible development and testing are essential to prevent unintended harm.
5. Transparency and Accountability: Developers should be transparent about how their systems work. Users have a right to understand how their data is collected, processed, and used.
6. Environmental Impact: The energy consumption of data centers, electronic waste, and the carbon footprint of technology are ethical considerations.
7. Social Responsibility: Technology can exacerbate social inequalities. Developers should consider the broader societal impact of their work. For instance, social media algorithms can influence public opinion and contribute to echo chambers.

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Driverless Cars

Why?

Driverless cars have plenty of benefits to offer, including improved safety and a reduced environmental impact. According to the US Department of Transport, up to 94% of road accidents are due to human error, so it's predicted that driverless vehicles could have a huge impact on traffic accidents.

moneysupermarket.com (2021)

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Wearables, Robots and AI

The introduction of wearable technology means that people are carrying more technology around with them and allowing devices to collect more data about them.

• Smartwatch - location, heart rate, images, video, sound
• Health Tracker - heart rate, activities, steps, location, speed traveled
• Smart Glasses - location, images, sound, search history

As wearable technology has become smaller and more portable, some companies have also developed implantable technology. This type of device is likely to require a surgical procedure to install the device.

• RFID chips - Microchip inserted under the skin - could be used in the place of a contactless bank card, to hold medical information, or as ID.
• Cochlear implants - An enhanced version of a hearing aid that connects to the auditory nerve behind the ear. Advancements in these are looking to add noise cancelling and voice command AI (artificial intelligence).

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