Finding S.O.L.A.C.E. in Discussions About AI Ethics
Expanding AI-related ethical discussions beyond academic integrity . . .
Source: via Freepik.com
I promise this is my last AI-related acronym (for now : ) . . .
Putting Truth into AI Advertising
In Higher Education, ethical discussions regarding Artificial Intelligence (AI) typically focus on undisclosed or prohibited student AI use. These are valid concerns, but the scope of AI’s ethical implications extend well beyond the classroom.
Unfortunately, most users are unaware of the numerous ethical issues associated with Artificial Intelligence. Because of the serious ramifications of AI’s capabilities, all users need to be informed about the technology’s far-reaching implications. Society requires transparency and demands awareness about these concerns.
The context of Higher Education, where learners engage with new ideas, appreciate perspectives other than their own, apply critical thinking, evaluate evidence, and draw conclusions, is the perfect environment for starting complex discussions and analyses.
But where do you start with a subject so vast and potentially overwhelming? I recommend finding S.O.L.A.C.E. in a new AI ethics framework!
The S.O.L.A.C.E. Framework
SOURCE: edited template via Canva.
The following topics expand discussions of AI ethics beyond just academics, and provide a foundation for robust and comprehensive analyses:
SUSTAINABILITY: consumption (water, electricity, natural resources - lithium), pollution, labor exploitation, trade/component wars, digital infrastructure creation/maintenance
OPERATIONAL: black-box (“secretive”) development, data concerns (bias, misinformation remediation, source material, source collection, etc.), hallucinations, terms of use conditions, transparency, intellectual property theft, developed world favoritism, state-sponsored cyberattacks, copyright violations, developer claims
LEGISLATIVE: government oversight or lack thereof, reactive regulation, official policy development, developer/corporate accountability, democratic stability, free press/speech
AGENCY: do I feel comfortable: having to create user accounts, sharing my data, providing free labor (training the AI model through my interaction), handing over agency; am I concerned about: skill loss, AI dependency, the appropriateness of AI tools for certain users (individuals under 18 years old), the overwhelming speed of change
COMMUNITY: limited digital literacy, growing digital divide, overall equitable use, data set/AI output biases, deep fakes, misinformation/fake news, concentrated AI knowledge, privacy loss, reliance on digital communication, copyright/intellectual property theft
ECONOMICS: job displacement, job/worker replacement, upskilling pressures, cost concerns, concentrations of influence/power, monopolies, investments, ROI challenges