An ethical guide was recently created by think tank Institute of the Future and the Tech and Society Solutions Lab. The guide—called Ethical OS—aims to serve as a bridge between researchers who study tech’s societal impact, and the companies that impact society.
The first section outlines 14 near-future scenarios, based on contemporary anxieties in the tech world that could threaten companies in the future. What happens, for example, if a company like Facebook purchases a major bank and becomes a social credit provider? What happens if facial-recognition technology becomes a mainstream tool, spawning a new category of apps that integrates the tech into activities like dating and shopping? Teams are encouraged to talk through each scenario, connect them back to the platforms or products they’re developing, and discuss strategies to prepare for these possible futures.
In my opinion, it should be a requirement for business majors to take ethical classes, if they already don’t. Starting a company in a garage with no knowledge of societal quandaries doesn’t cut it anymore.
Check It Out: Silicon Valley Created an Ethical Guide
Andrew:
Many thanks for sharing this. Researchers in the biomedical and allied health fields are, and have been for some time, required to address the ethics of their work in their proposals and protocols, its implications as well as the known and expected risks and benefits to not only the study participants, but ultimately to the target population and society; and this is again addressed when undergoing institutional review for approval prior to study execution.
That there is at least a toolkit available for tech researchers, albeit on a voluntary use basis, is perhaps of sign of the growing maturation of this industry, the gathering recognition of the industry’s global societal impact, and a harbinger of things to come.