Reflective Activity 1 – Ethics in Computing in the age of Generative AI

AI presents an exciting evolution. The concepts exposed in (Deckard, 2023) in relation to the interdisciplinary nature of AI and its fast development make it very complex to understand and compile its implications in terms of ethics, establish the limits and deal with the different approaches used around the world, to deal with the ethical implications. According to (Liu et al., 2018), the first ideas of an artificial brain were present as early as the 1940s. Passing through the "AI winter" from 1987 to 1993, the field of AI research and industry has witnessed significant growth (Correa et al., 2024). However, the development of AI has had a growing trend at the beginning of the new century, appearing more institutionalised. This growth is affecting multiple areas and bringing up different challenges.

In this growing trend, a critical question is the definition of ethical premises to support the development of AI technologies. The aim of developing ethics to guide the development and implementation of AI technologies is that their design and use are done in a fair, transparent and responsible way (Deckard, 2023). Making this a global phenomenon will encounter several challenges as countries will act in different ways in front of the same ethical situation. The absence of effective mechanisms to enforce the principle of Ethics in AI is another problem that has not been sorted, and the repetitive losses result in insufficient as a consequence of not complying with the ethics principles (Hagendorff, 2020).

There is a lot to do to develop the principles and techniques of AI ethics. Even though AI ethics is still in its early stages despite being extensively researched by interdisciplinary researchers for several years (Huang et al., 2022). However, it is also essential to develop appropriate enforcement mechanisms to start approaching the development of an international standard that could properly work towards developing AI, taking into account its risks for everyone involved in developing and consuming the results of AI.

As per the development of confidentiality and security compliance guides, leading organisations will have an important role in creating standards that can guide other countries and make them adopt these suggested standards. Ethical principles already exist in large quantities, but how many of those can be applied globally or adopted by governments of all countries? This is an important question exposed in (Correa et al., 2023). It is essential to mention the global initiative for ethical considerations in the design of autonomous and intelligent systems. This IEEE initiative provides platforms to bring together and give voices to hundreds of thousands of scientists and experts around the world, making it possible to discuss and analyse the ethics in all fields relative to autonomous and intelligent systems (A/IS) (IEEE SA, 2022).

There will always be a unique component in each different country or society, so in our opinion, an expectation to have a 100% effective framework should not be including in the results of it application. Development ethics must consider such claims and questions of cultural plurality and divergence (Gasper, 1996).

A resultant framework that could give the development and implementation of AI in accordance to common ethics principles taking into account the common aspects of ethics in this pluricultural world. Bringing together and including all the specific aspects of ethics around the world is another challenge. The development of moral codes in society is also affected by time, which brings another parameter of complexity to the analysis. Instead, the new framework should focus on the common ethical rules present around the world. Here, we can clearly see that it will not be possible to satisfy the requirements of every culture, but in our opinion, it is what is more proximal to a solution. Based on these common ethical rules, it is possible to extrapolate and create a framework as effectively as possible.

References
Correa, N., Galvao, C., Santos, J., Del Pino, C., Pinto, E., Barbosa, C., Massmann, D., Mambrini, R., Galvao, L., Terem, E. And De Oliveira, N. (2023) Worldwide AI ethics: A review of 200 guidelines and recommendations for AI governance. Available from: https://www-sciencedirect-com.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/science/article/pii/S2666389923002416 [Accessed 24 March 2024]

Deckard, R. (2023) What are ethics in AI? Available from: https://www.bcs.org/articles-opinion-and-research/what-are-ethics-in-ai/ [Accessed 23 March 2023].

Gasper, D. (1996) CULTURE AND DEVELOPMENT ETHICS Needs, women's rights, and Western theories. Available from: https://pure.eur.nl/ws/portalfiles/portal/47078650/metis_163837.pdf [Accessed 23 March 2024].

Hagendorff, T. (2020) The Ethics of AI Ethics: An Evaluation of Guidelines. Minds & Machines 30, 99–120. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11023-020-09517-8 

Huang, C., Zhang, Z., Mao, B. and Yao, X. (2023) An Overview of Artificial Intelligence Ethics. IEEE Transactions on Artificial Intelligence, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 799-819. DOI: 10.1109/TAI.2022.3194503.

IEEE SA (2022) The IEEE Global Initiative on Ethics of Autonomous and Intelligent Systems Industry Connections Activity Initiation Document (ICAID). Available from: https://standards.ieee.org/wp-content/uploads/import/governance/iccom/IC16-002-Global_Initiative_for_Ethical_Considerations_in_the_Design_of_Autonomous_Systems.pdf [Accessed 23 March 2024].

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Collaborative Learning Discussion 1 (Medical Implant Risk Analysis)

Understanding the implications (function) of the device under discussion is important to assess if Corazon took essential recommendations and followed standards when releasing their device into the market. According to (Cheung et al., 2024), implantable cardiac monitors are meant to monitor the rhythm of the heart for extended periods of time and transmit data remotely to clinicians. From the previous concept, we understand that the accuracy and privacy of data are essential elements of this analysis.

Corazon uses standard encryption algorithms to transmit the data which tells us the level of care and compliance to security standards. The good approach when receiving feedback on potential vulnerabilities and commitment to run investigations in order to mitigate the effects of the found vulnerability is also another way of showing us their commitment to security.

Regarding compliance with the BCS, when defining limited capabilities for the device, Corazon showed that was willing to take responsibilities for its performance and the transmission of data.

Also, when a vulnerability was found, understanding the functionality and the aim of the device was important to deem the potential harm as negligible because of the limited capability of the device.

The table below summarises the coincidences between the analysis of the ACM Code of Ethics and the BSC Code of conduct. The four principles of the BSC are You make IT for everyone, Show what you know, learn what you don’t, Respect the organisation or individual you work for, and Keep IT real. Keep IT professional. Pass IT on (BSC, N.D.).

ACM Code of ethics	BSC Code of conduct	Action
2.5 Comprehensive Risk Analysis	Show what you know and learn what you don’t (professional responsability)	Welcomes independent security evaluation and acted responsibly and quickly
2.3 Respect existing rules	Respect the organisation or individual you work for	Worked applying standards
1.1 Contribute to society and to human well-being	You make IT for everyone	Made technology available to charities

References
BCS (N.D.) BCS Code of Conduct. Available from: https://www.bcs.org/membership-and-registrations/become-a-member/bcs-code-of-conduct [Accessed 20/03/2024].

Cheung, J., Rordorf, R. & Kutyifa, V. (2024). Implantable cardiac monitors: artificial intelligence and signal processing reduce remote ECG review workload and preserve arrhythmia detection sensitivity. Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine 11. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fcvm.2024.1343424