Ethics for Developing Technologies: An Analysis of Artficial Agent Technology

技术开发的伦理：人工代理技术分析

• 批准号: 1058457
• 负责人: Deborah Johnson
• 金额: $ 21.3万
• 依托单位: University of Virginia Main Campus
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-04-15 至 2014-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1058457&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Ethics; Developing; Technologies; Analysis; Artficial

Moral notions and practices shape and are shaped by new technologies. Ethics for developing technologies involves identification and analysis of the ethical issues associated with a new technology in ways that can influence its design and use. Bringing ethical perspectives into the early stages of technological development is the best opportunity for those perspectives to have an influence.This project examines the discourse around artificial agent technology--computer systems that are described as autonomous decision-making entities--in order to understand how moral concepts and practices shape and are shaped by new technologies. Concepts of agency and autonomy are central to morality; they underpin the very possibility of morality and are strongly linked to concepts of responsibility and accountability. This project will examine how computer scientists and engineers conceptualize issues of responsibility with regard to artificial agents.The project will focus on two case studies: 1) the discussion centered around artificial moral agents, and 2) the discourse about autonomous military robots. The overarching descriptive research question for each case is: How are notions of responsibility, agency, and autonomy being negotiated? The overarching normative question is: How should artificial agents be conceptualized and designed? The methodology combines discourse analysis, philosophical analysis, and in-depth interviews with computer scientists and engineers. The project will have broader impact by training a postdoctoral fellow in ethics in science research and qualitative social science research methods. The results will be disseminated broadly to scholars as well as those who are engaged in the development of artificial agent technology.

道德观念和实践塑造了新技术，也被新技术塑造了。开发技术的伦理包括以可能影响其设计和使用的方式确定和分析与新技术相关的伦理问题。将伦理观点带入技术发展的早期阶段是这些观点产生影响的最佳机会。这个项目考察了围绕人工代理技术--被描述为自主决策实体的计算机系统--的话语，以了解道德概念和实践是如何形成并被新技术塑造的。代理和自主的概念是道德的核心；它们为道德的可能性奠定了基础，并与责任和问责的概念紧密相连。这个项目将研究计算机科学家和工程师如何概念化与人工代理有关的责任问题。该项目将集中在两个案例研究：1)围绕人工道德代理的讨论，以及2)关于自主军事机器人的论述。每个案例最重要的描述性研究问题是：责任、代理和自主的概念是如何谈判的？首要的规范性问题是：人工代理应该如何概念化和设计？这种方法结合了话语分析、哲学分析以及对计算机科学家和工程师的深入采访。该项目将通过培训科学研究和定性社会科学研究方法方面的伦理学博士后研究员，产生更广泛的影响。研究结果将广泛传播给学者和从事人工制剂技术开发的人。