Ethics for Developing Technologies: An Analysis of Artficial Agent Technology

道德观念和实践塑造了新技术，也被新技术塑造了。技术开发的伦理涉及识别和分析与新技术相关的伦理问题，这些问题可能会影响新技术的设计和使用。将伦理观点引入技术发展的早期阶段，是这些观点产生影响的最佳机会。该项目考察了围绕人工智能技术（被描述为自主决策实体的计算机系统）的论述，以了解道德概念和实践如何塑造和被新技术塑造。能动性和自主性的概念是道德的核心；它们支撑着道德的可能性，并与责任和问责制的概念密切相关。这个项目将研究计算机科学家和工程师如何概念化关于人工代理的责任问题。该项目将侧重于两个案例研究：1)围绕人工道德主体的讨论，以及2)关于自主军事机器人的讨论。每个案例的首要描述性研究问题是：责任、代理和自治的概念是如何协商的？首要的规范性问题是：人工代理应该如何概念化和设计？该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访谈。该项目将通过培养一名科学研究伦理学和定性社会科学研究方法方面的博士后，产生更广泛的影响。研究结果将广泛传播给学者以及从事人工智能技术开发的人员。

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.