Part 1 - Ethical Analysis

Question 1

List the 3 types of normative ethics and what they are based on

Answer 1

Consequential Ethics: Outcomes
Deontic: Rules
Virtue: Values

Question 2

Consequentialist Ethics

Answer 2

• Choose actions likely to have good outcomes
  Consider outcomes for stakeholders and balance them
• Utilitarianism:
  Jeremy Bentham, 1748- 1832
  The greatest happiness for the greatest number of people

Question 3

Deontic Ethics

Answer 3

Follow the rules
- An action is good if it folllows the letter and spirit of the rules, and is bad if it doesn’t
Immanuel Kant 1724 - 1804 - The Moral Is Within

Derived from Greek “Deon” meaning Duty

Question 4

Virtue Ethics

Answer 4

Act in accordance with positive values

• Aristotle, 384-322 BC
• Cultivate a virtuous character

Question 5

List general values of professional codes

Answer 5

• In all three professional codes:
– Public wellbeing, health and safety
– Honesty, transparency
– Non-discrimination/equality, inclusion
– Accountability
– Environmental sustainability

• In both the Computer Science codes:
– Privacy, confidentiality

• EU AI guidelines: also Human agency & oversight

Question 6

Uber’s Greyball (Case Study)

Identified local police & regulation officers
– via e.g location, credit card info
• Showed them fake interface so they couldn’t catch any Ubers
• Uber’s legal team approved the program,
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/mar/03/uber-secret-programgreyball-
resignation-ed-baker

Who were the stake holders?

Answer 6

• Uber drivers
• Police, regulation officers
• Uber customers
• Uber shareholders
• Other road users
• Other taxi drivers
• Local taxpayers
• Everyone (e.g. effect on climate change)
• (more?)

Question 7

Uber’s Greyball (Case Study)

Identified local police & regulation officers
– via e.g location, credit card info
• Showed them fake interface so they couldn’t catch any Ubers
• Uber’s legal team approved the program,
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/mar/03/uber-secret-programgreyball-
resignation-ed-baker

Was it Ok?

Answer 7

No, it prevented law enforcement from carrying out their job

Question 8

Summarise the Ethical Analysis Procedure in 3 points

Answer 8

1. What is the issue? What are the alternatives?
2. Consider alternatives from 3 perspectives
   - Rule-based
   - Outcome-based
   - Values-based (may loop back 2-1)
3. Make a decision, record reasons, recommend actions.
   For best results, do this in a diverse team
   Based on DIODE, Harris et al, http://www.inf.ed.ac.uk/teaching/courses/pi/slides/assessing-ethicalissues.
   pdf

Question 9

What can you do if you find yourself involved
in something ethically bad at work?
As employee

Answer 9

#1: don’t get into this situation in the first place (routinely think about ethical issues)
#2: talk about it within your team - report it internally and suggest solutions
#3: Public whistleblowing https://www.gov.uk/whistleblowing

Question 10

What can you do if you find yourself involved
in something ethically bad at work?
As employer

Answer 10

Create an open and supportive culture, including discussions.

Have a reporting procedure