The Role and Limits of Principles in AI Ethics: Toward a Focus on Tensions

Author: Jess Whittlestone et al.

Publisher: Conference on AI, Ethics, and Society

Publication Year: 2019

Summary: The following research article argues that there are tensions between common principles guiding ethical decision-making about artificial intelligence (AI). They explain 4 key tensions: service quality versus privacy, accuracy versus fair treatment, personalization versus solidarity, and convenience versus dignity. By analogy with bioethics, the authors also argue that frameworks alone are not enough to guide ethical decision-making. Principles must be accompanied by examples of how to apply them in practice.