New technology is exciting, but there’s also a risk it could cause harm. Never fear – digital ethics is here to save the day!
With great innovation comes great responsibility. Splitting the atom was an incredible breakthrough, but it also led to the atomic bomb. Technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and robotics are developing at a rapid pace, so it’s important to step back and ask questions about the consequences and how we can keep technology safe and beneficial to humanity. Enter digital ethics, otherwise known as responsible tech – a relatively new field of research that is quickly becoming part of every major tech company.
Big retailers Bunnings and Kmart were recently in the news for their use of facial recognition software in stores. They claimed it was to help reduce theft, but they stopped using it due to concerns the system may breach privacy laws.
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Digital dilemmas
How companies, governments and other organisations collect and use data about us is one ethical dilemma that needs to be solved. Others focus on how human biases can infect AI, causing it to make decisions that reinforce discrimination. For example, Amazon was using AI to scan through job applications to find the best candidates, but it found that the system gave preference to men.
Dr Simon Coghlan, senior lecturer in digital ethics at the University of Melbourne and Centre for AI and Digital Ethics (CAIDE), says that because these technologies are increasingly part of our lives, we’ll soon all need a basic understanding of the ethics around technology.
“I think we’ll probably all need to know a little bit about it,” he says, adding that there is also a growing number of jobs in digital ethics as organisations start to realise its importance.
“Businesses are using AI and chatbots more, and collecting data about the people they do business with and making judgements about them. We’ll need people who understand digital ethics, so that these businesses don’t run into trouble and ruin their reputations, to help them work out when to use AI and when not to and how to use it responsibly.”
Where you’ll work
Tomorrow’s technology ethicists might work at a big tech company – for example, Google’s AI ethics research department employs 200 people (meet one of them on the next page!) – or you might work at a smaller consultancy firm that advises on how to use technology ethically. And experts in this space won’t necessarily need loads of technical skills, with roles popping up in legal, policy, product and marketing teams.
Opportunities to become a digital ethics researcher like Simon are also growing. Simon’s work delves into questions like whether or not robotic companions – such as robot pets in aged care facilities – are a good idea.
“Some people really like having the robots around, because it reminds them of their dog,”
he says. “But others find it insulting to be given an artificial animal.”
It also raises the question of what happens as the technology develops – as the robots get better and better at communicating and performing tasks, could we get too accustomed to their help?
“Will it mean nursing home residents get less care from real people or that family visit less often because they know the robots are looking after them?” Simon asks. “It raises ethical questions about how we manage aged care in the future.”
Some of the job titles to look out for in digital ethics include: trust and safety officer; data or AI ethicist; and AI governance officer. But as it’s such a new field, more new jobs are likely to emerge in the near future.
When it comes to what to study, Simon says it’s not just about technical skills. He recommends studying things like computer programming, data science, human-computer interaction or machine learning, while combining that with humanities subjects like philosophy, politics, communication, media studies or law.
With the right combination of skills, you could be well on the way to tackling one of technology’s biggest ethical questions: just because we can, does that mean we should?
Tech + Ethics study
- Bachelor of Arts (Professional) with a major in Ethics and Technology, Swinburne University
- Bachelor of Laws (Honours) with Law, technology and innovation minor, QUT
- Bachelor of Artificial Intelligence, Deakin University
- Bachelor of Advanced Computing, University of Sydney
Tech + Ethics jobs
- AI specialist A$92K / NZ$56K (avg)
- Ethics officer A$83K-$145K / NZ$75K-$131K
- Senior machine learning engineer A$96K-$152K
- Digital strategist A$54K-$145K / NZ$155K (avg)
Salary sources: payscale.com / salaryexpert.com
This article was originally published in Careers with STEM: Technology.
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