Ethics for people who work in tech: Let’s look at ChatGPT Marc Steen, PhD Senior research scientist at TNO (tno.nl) Big Data Expo, Utrecht, 12 Sept 2023

Agenda (11:00-11:30) Ethics as a process Three (iterative) steps Four perspectives Case study, ChatGPT Rapid Ethical Deliberation Canvas

Let’s start with a poll 1. Please raise your hand if you think or feel that ethics is important in big data / algorithms /AI 2. Please raise your hand if you think or feel that it is easy to integrate ethics in your projects

Can you give us an ‘okay’ for our project? As if ethics is a barrier you need to pass ✅

Ethics can be a steering wheel, to steer your innovation process: to keep your project on the right track, avoid crashes or wrong turns

Rapid Ethical Deliberation; 4-20 people, 1-2 hours - Identify issues, e.g., ‘what could happen’ - Host dialogues, e.g., with stakeholders - Make decisions, experiments; be accountable Results: ask more precise and specific questions

Consequentialism Duty ethics Relational ethics Virtue ethics Look at your project, and potential, (un)intended outcomes, from four different perspectives

Consequentialism: assess positive and negative outcomes; including undesirable ‘side effects’ ChatGPT • Do job better (+); other people’s jobs (-) • Support writers (+); more disinformation (-) • Offshore micro-gigs, materials, energy (-) • …

Duty ethics: identify duties and rights; human dignity and human autonomy (control) ChatGPT • Duty to deliver quality, reliability (like we have for food, drugs) • Rights of users; privacy, non-discrimination (bias), copyright • …

Relational ethics: how technologies affect our abilities to connect to others and to nature ChatGPT • How we communicate (‘ELIZA effect’) • Too smooth, mediocre (‘Reverse Turing’) • Power: owned and used by big tech, states • …

Virtue ethics: how technologies can help or hinder us to cultivate virtues, and to live well together ChatGPT • Helps (or hinders) to cultivate virtues. E.g., self-control, honesty • What virtues (‘super powers’) do you need? E.g., courage, justice • …

Rapid Ethical Deliberation Canvas

[email protected] tno.nl, marcsteen.nl ethicsforpeoplewhoworkintech.com Thank you! Any questions, comments?