Reconstructing AI Ethics Principles: Rawlsian Ethics of Artificial Intelligence - UTU Research Portal

A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Reconstructing AI Ethics Principles: Rawlsian Ethics of Artificial Intelligence

Authors: Westerstrand, Salla

Publisher: Springer Nature

Publishing place: DORDRECHT

Publication year: 2024

Journal: Science and Engineering Ethics

Journal name in source: Science and Engineering Ethics

Journal acronym: SCI ENG ETHICS

Article number: 46

Volume: 30

Issue: 5

Number of pages: 21

ISSN: 1353-3452

eISSN: 1471-5546

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-024-00507-y

Web address : http://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-024-00507-y

Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/458902781

Abstract

The popularisation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies has sparked discussion about their ethical implications. This development has forced governmental organisations, NGOs, and private companies to react and draft ethics guidelines for future development of ethical AI systems. Whereas many ethics guidelines address values familiar to ethicists, they seem to lack in ethical justifications. Furthermore, most tend to neglect the impact of AI on democracy, governance, and public deliberation. Existing research suggest, however, that AI can threaten key elements of western democracies that are ethically relevant. In this paper, Rawls's theory of justice is applied to draft a set of guidelines for organisations and policy-makers to guide AI development towards a more ethical direction. The goal is to contribute to the broadening of the discussion on AI ethics by exploring the possibility of constructing AI ethics guidelines that are philosophically justified and take a broader perspective of societal justice. The paper discusses how Rawls's theory of justice as fairness and its key concepts relate to the ongoing developments in AI ethics and gives a proposition of how principles that offer a foundation for operationalising AI ethics in practice could look like if aligned with Rawls's theory of justice as fairness.

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s11948-024-00507-y.pdf

Funding information in the publication:
Funding Open Access funding provided by University of Turku (including Turku University Central Hospital).