Towards a unified list of ethical principles for emerging technologies. An analysis of four European reports on molecular biotechnology and artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) and molecular biotechnologies (MB) are among the most promising, but also ethically hotly debated emerging technologies. In both fields, several ethics reports, which invoke lists of ethics principles, have been put forward. These reports and the principles lists are tec...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Sustainable Futures |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266618882200020X |
| _version_ | 1811201741674250240 |
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| author | Joachim Boldt Elisa Orrù |
| author_facet | Joachim Boldt Elisa Orrù |
| author_sort | Joachim Boldt |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Artificial intelligence (AI) and molecular biotechnologies (MB) are among the most promising, but also ethically hotly debated emerging technologies. In both fields, several ethics reports, which invoke lists of ethics principles, have been put forward. These reports and the principles lists are technology specific. This article aims to contribute to the ongoing debate on ethics of emerging technologies by comparatively analysing four European ethics reports from the two technology fields. Adopting a qualitative and in-depth approach, the article highlights how ethics principles from MB can inform AI ethics and vice versa. By synthesizing the respective ethical cores of the principles included in the analysed reports, the article derives, moreover, a unified list of principles for assessing emerging technologies. The suggested list consists of nine principles: autonomy; individual and social well-being and prevention of harm; reliability, safety and security; informational privacy; transparency; accountability; communication, participation and democracy; justice, fairness, and non-discrimination; sustainability. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T02:27:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c01368287d2f4e679b2dcd127d1edc48 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2666-1888 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T02:27:00Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sustainable Futures |
| spelling | doaj.art-c01368287d2f4e679b2dcd127d1edc482022-12-22T03:51:56ZengElsevierSustainable Futures2666-18882022-01-014100086Towards a unified list of ethical principles for emerging technologies. An analysis of four European reports on molecular biotechnology and artificial intelligenceJoachim Boldt0Elisa Orrù1Department of Medical Ethics and the History of Medicine, CIBSS – Centre for Integrative Biological Signalling Studies, University of Freiburg, 79104, Freiburg, GermanyCentre for Security and Society and Philosophy Department, University of Freiburg, 79098, Freiburg, Germany; Corresponding author.Artificial intelligence (AI) and molecular biotechnologies (MB) are among the most promising, but also ethically hotly debated emerging technologies. In both fields, several ethics reports, which invoke lists of ethics principles, have been put forward. These reports and the principles lists are technology specific. This article aims to contribute to the ongoing debate on ethics of emerging technologies by comparatively analysing four European ethics reports from the two technology fields. Adopting a qualitative and in-depth approach, the article highlights how ethics principles from MB can inform AI ethics and vice versa. By synthesizing the respective ethical cores of the principles included in the analysed reports, the article derives, moreover, a unified list of principles for assessing emerging technologies. The suggested list consists of nine principles: autonomy; individual and social well-being and prevention of harm; reliability, safety and security; informational privacy; transparency; accountability; communication, participation and democracy; justice, fairness, and non-discrimination; sustainability.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266618882200020XTechnology governanceTechnology assessment frameworkArtificial intelligence ethicsBioethicsEmerging technologies |
| spellingShingle | Joachim Boldt Elisa Orrù Towards a unified list of ethical principles for emerging technologies. An analysis of four European reports on molecular biotechnology and artificial intelligence Sustainable Futures Technology governance Technology assessment framework Artificial intelligence ethics Bioethics Emerging technologies |
| title | Towards a unified list of ethical principles for emerging technologies. An analysis of four European reports on molecular biotechnology and artificial intelligence |
| title_full | Towards a unified list of ethical principles for emerging technologies. An analysis of four European reports on molecular biotechnology and artificial intelligence |
| title_fullStr | Towards a unified list of ethical principles for emerging technologies. An analysis of four European reports on molecular biotechnology and artificial intelligence |
| title_full_unstemmed | Towards a unified list of ethical principles for emerging technologies. An analysis of four European reports on molecular biotechnology and artificial intelligence |
| title_short | Towards a unified list of ethical principles for emerging technologies. An analysis of four European reports on molecular biotechnology and artificial intelligence |
| title_sort | towards a unified list of ethical principles for emerging technologies an analysis of four european reports on molecular biotechnology and artificial intelligence |
| topic | Technology governance Technology assessment framework Artificial intelligence ethics Bioethics Emerging technologies |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266618882200020X |
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