Promotion of Human Values (142)
Find narratives by ethical themes or by technologies.
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- 5 min
- MIT Technology Review
- 2019
Humans take the blame for failures of AI automated systems, protecting the integrity of the technological system and becoming a “liability sponge.” It is necessary to redefine the role of humans in sociotechnical systems.
- MIT Technology Review
- 2019
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- 5 min
- MIT Technology Review
- 2019
When algorithms mess up, the nearest human gets the blame
Humans take the blame for failures of AI automated systems, protecting the integrity of the technological system and becoming a “liability sponge.” It is necessary to redefine the role of humans in sociotechnical systems.
Should humans take the blame for algorithm-created harm? At what level (development, corporate, or personal) should this liability occur?
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- 5 min
- Kinolab
- 2013
Actress Robin Wright plays a fictionalized version of herself who traverses through both the real world and the mixed reality of Abrahama city in this narrative. As Miramount Studio animator Dylan explains to her, the rules of the mixed reality allow people to appear as an avatar which they please, editing their human features into more imaginative ones. With this capability, many people choose to remain in the mixed reality permanently, leaving the real world in a grim stupor.
- Kinolab
- 2013
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- 5 min
- Kinolab
- 2013
Removed from Reality
Actress Robin Wright plays a fictionalized version of herself who traverses through both the real world and the mixed reality of Abrahama city in this narrative. As Miramount Studio animator Dylan explains to her, the rules of the mixed reality allow people to appear as an avatar which they please, editing their human features into more imaginative ones. With this capability, many people choose to remain in the mixed reality permanently, leaving the real world in a grim stupor.
Who has a responsibility to ensure that mixed and virtual realities are not tantalizing enough to absolve humans from the responsibility for caring for the real world? How can addiction to digital realities be ameliorated? What issues of identity and presentation to others arise from the capability to appear however one pleases? How is this empowering, and how is this dangerous?
The Congress: Everyone is What They Want to Be-
- 5 min
- Wired
- 2020
As means of preserving deceased loved ones digitally become more and more likely, it is critical to consider the implications of technologies which aim to replicate and capture the personality and traits of those who have passed. Not only might this change the natural process of grieving and healing, it may also have alarming consequences for the agency of the dead. For the corresponding Black Mirror episode discussed in the article, see the narratives “Martha and Ash Parts I and II.”
- Wired
- 2020
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- 5 min
- Wired
- 2020
The Ethics of Rebooting the Dead
As means of preserving deceased loved ones digitally become more and more likely, it is critical to consider the implications of technologies which aim to replicate and capture the personality and traits of those who have passed. Not only might this change the natural process of grieving and healing, it may also have alarming consequences for the agency of the dead. For the corresponding Black Mirror episode discussed in the article, see the narratives “Martha and Ash Parts I and II.”
Should anyone be allowed to use digital resurrection technologies if they feel it may better help them cope? With all the data points that exist for internet users in this day and age, is it easier to create versions of deceased people which are uncannily similar to their real identities? What would be missing from this abstraction? How is a person’s identity kept uniform or recognizable if they are digitally resurrected?
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- 3 min
- Tech Crunch
- 2020
This narrative explains that the push for technology to help with accessibility for disabled groups, especially blind or visually impaired individuals, has spurred scientific innovation which is to the benefit of everyone.
- Tech Crunch
- 2020
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- 3 min
- Tech Crunch
- 2020
What will tomorrow’s tech look like? Ask someone who can’t see.
This narrative explains that the push for technology to help with accessibility for disabled groups, especially blind or visually impaired individuals, has spurred scientific innovation which is to the benefit of everyone.
What are the benefits of developing technologies and innovations which aim to solve a specific problem? How might this lead to unprecedented positive innovations? How can accessibility become a priority, and become adequately incentivized, in tech development, instead of other priorities such as profit?
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- 5 min
- Gizmodo
- 2020
This article describes the new Amazon Sidewalk feature and subsequently explains why users should not buy into this service. Essentially, this feature uses the internet of things created by Amazon devices such as the Echo or Ring camera to create a secondary network connecting nearby homes which also contain these devices, which is sustained by each home “donating” a small amount of broadband. It is explained that this is a dangerous concept because this smaller network may be susceptible to hackers, putting a large number of users at risk.
- Gizmodo
- 2020
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- 5 min
- Gizmodo
- 2020
You Need to Opt Out of Amazon Sidewalk
This article describes the new Amazon Sidewalk feature and subsequently explains why users should not buy into this service. Essentially, this feature uses the internet of things created by Amazon devices such as the Echo or Ring camera to create a secondary network connecting nearby homes which also contain these devices, which is sustained by each home “donating” a small amount of broadband. It is explained that this is a dangerous concept because this smaller network may be susceptible to hackers, putting a large number of users at risk.
Why are “secondary networks” like the one described here a bad idea in terms of both surveillance and data privacy? Is it possible for the world to be too networked? How can tech developers make sure the general public has a healthy skepticism toward new devices? Or is it ultimately Amazon’s job to think about the ethical implications of this secondary network before introducing it for profits?
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- 5 min
- ZDNet
- 2020
In recent municipal elections in Brazil, the software and hardware of a machine learning technology provided by Oracle failed to properly do its job in counting the votes. This ultimately led to a delay in the results, as the AI had not been properly calibrated beforehand.
- ZDNet
- 2020
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- 5 min
- ZDNet
- 2020
AI Failure in Elections
In recent municipal elections in Brazil, the software and hardware of a machine learning technology provided by Oracle failed to properly do its job in counting the votes. This ultimately led to a delay in the results, as the AI had not been properly calibrated beforehand.
Who had responsibility to fully test and calibrate this AI before it was used for an election? What sorts of more dire consequences could result from a failure of AI to properly count votes? What are the implications of an American tech monopoly providing this faulty technology to another country’s elections?