Ethics and digital technologies
It started with designing my own book cover, which was really difficult as I wanted to make it too wordy, and finding images that expressed my feelings took some time.
And from there I wanted to create a collection of some of the debates that are currently happening around the world. And try to show how different problems are being approached. I realised that different countries are experiencing the same problems but are at different stages, for example, drone technology is more apparent in Australia and America than in Europe, hence they are beginning to legislate for them. Whereas in the UK, it seems to be the view that government needs to lead the way in their own use of technologies and become models of good practice. The debate is already starting in education, for example, with electronic assessment and how to make it ‘fair’.
But, for me, the really interesting topic is when new technologies become the subject of considered ethical discussion. At the development stage by engineers and inventors? Or, at the end stage by users? What do you think?
Super artefact Jin! I wondered why you chose to create a book cover as your visual piece. Was this perhaps a comment on the need for more scholarly work in this area, and maybe that the book still represents the best way to establish and communicate this kind of knowledge?
Your questions around when ethics should be developed are really interesting. It seems to me that waiting for users risks things being developed without any ethical consideration, perhaps hard-wiring things that cannot be changed later on down the line. However, work in the research and development stage is often not very public, so the debates that can be had are perhaps limited to certain bodies.
Jin, really enjoyed your artefact! What a great collection of articles, clips and questions on ethics. Had no idea that the UK still doesn’t have an ethics body for technology.
It was interesting to see how Pearltrees works too.
This is a good collection of Pearltrees links Jin – I enjoyed getting lost in them for a while – particularly I liked the discussion paper you found from Bristol on the ethics of data for assessment.
My own response to your question is that ethics have to circle back iteratively between concept and practice as each shifts in response to the other. Perhaps the distinction between ethics and regulation or law is useful here, with the former being to do with an evolving set of values, and the latter being to do with their being made concrete and having punishments for violation attached….
Really cool visual artifact, Jin!
Great collection of articles too!
Your book cover looks amazing!
I’ve never heard of Pearltrees before but it reminded me a bit of all those science fiction movies where the characters would zoom in on a hologram to get to a deeper level