Contemporary Ethical Issues Flashcards
1
Q
Explain the Post Office “Horizon IT” scandal
A
Custom software in UK post offices had many bugs Eg. pressing enter when the screen froze silently repeated the transaction, so money seemed to go missing. This meant over 900 shopkeepers were convicted of fraud
2
Q
Why is it difficult to say whose fault the Post Office “Horizon IT” scandal was?
A
- “Complex government arrangements can make it hard to pin accountability on individuals”
- Which software experts denied the system could cause observed accounting discrepancies?
3
Q
Explain the Studio E disaster
A
Studio E was the lead consultant responsible for the Grenfell tower cladding. They lacked knowledge of building regulations, relied on subcontractors without question, and made fundamental errors in design
4
Q
What are the environmental consequences of tech advances?
A
- e-Waste
- Lithium mining
- Water extraction
- Pollution
5
Q
Examples of unethical AI
A
- An AI tool reconstructed a pixelated picture of Obama to look like a white man
- Amazon scrapped AI recruiting tool that showed bias against women
