As Technologists, It’s Time That We Upgrade The Ethics Of Our Work

The following is an excerpt from an essay by David Sanford, chief of staff for Reid Hoffman. Read the full text on LinkedIn.

In 2018, we see widespread concern over the spread of fake news on social media platforms, data security and privacy, questions around the addictiveness of technology, and worry about unequal opportunity to benefit from technology.  

Furthermore, innovations in fields like artificial intelligence and genomics offer incredible gains to realize, but are also fraught with inherent ethical quandaries and sizeable risks to society.  

As technology continues to occupy a central role in our lives, and as we build new and increasingly powerful technologies at an accelerating pace, it is more important than ever that we do so in a manner that attends to the ethical and societal dimensions of these disruptive innovations. What must we do to ensure that different technologies produce benefits for humanity that are accessible to all while minimizing their risks?

One common instinctual reaction is an extreme kind of precautionary principle – to call for a halt in progress until safety can be guaranteed.  While a tendency toward safety is wise, halting innovation won’t actually yield the desired outcome of a safe and beneficial output: If the ‘good guys and gals’ sit on the sidelines either out of an abundance of caution or to comply with strict regulations, that affords the bad actors – who don’t care about the rules – a competitive advantage. So, we face the difficult balancing act between continuing to progress and doing so in a way that doesn’t leave a wake of destruction or harm. 

Thankfully, technologists don’t have to create a new system from scratch. 

Thankfully, technologists don’t have to create a new system from scratch. We can learn from other professions and industries that have grappled with similar challenges. Specifically, I believe that technologists, those of us who build the future, have much to learn from the world of medical ethics. 

The four core principles of medical ethics – non-malfeasance, respect for autonomy, beneficence, and justice – offer a straightforward ethical code that we can adopt and apply in our work as technologists. And, just as we require physicians and other medical professionals to undergo ethics training before treating patients, so too should we require applied ethics training for students to graduate with computer science degrees and in related technical disciplines. 

Continue reading.