Presentazione del prof. Norberto Patrignani al convengo "Etica e Responsabilità Sociale di Impresa nell'Informatica" - Dicembre 2016

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Etica e Informatica
Norberto Patrignani
Etica e Responsabilità Sociale dell'Informatica
Milano, 5 Dicembre 02016
Source: The Research Center on Computing & Society at Southern Connecticut State University, www.southernct.edu/organizations/rccs/

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"Technology is the answer!
(But what was the question?)"
Amory Lovins, 1991
Amory Lovins
Source: Published as a guest essay, in G. Tyler Miller, "Environmental Science", 3rd ed. Belmont, CA, 1991

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Ethics (Etica), from greek έθος
1. Branch of Philosophy
2. Process that
­ studies the objective and rational backgrounds of thought and actions
­ enables the elaboration of norms of behavior
­ distinguishes and rules the choice between RIGHT or WRONG
RIGHT
WRONG
TRUE (*)
FALSE
(*) With
Changing
Paradigms!
Ethics Science
Ethics and Information Technology: the connection
The most complex Ethics challenges are in Science:
continuous evolution driving into unknown territories of knowledge

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Plato ( )Πλάτων
(Athens, 427 B.C.­347 B.C.)
"La Scuola di Atene" (part.), Raffaello Sanzio, 1509
Stanza della Segnatura, Palazzi Pontifici, Roma
Source: "The Republic" by Plato (360 B.C.), translated by Benjamin Jowett, Late Regius Professor of Greek, University of Oxford, 1994.
"... the responsibility of choosing is with you,
God is blameless"
Plato, 360 B.C.
Humans can no longer blame the Gods

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1943, US Army Ballistic Research Lab commissioned ENIAC (Electronic Numerical
Integrator Analyzer and Computer) Commissioned to University of Pennsylvania
1943: ENIAC
Source: Edwards, Paul. The Closed World: Computers and the Politics of Discourse in Cold War America. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1997

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John Von Neumann
(1903­1957)
1950: Norbert Wiener & John Von Neumann
Norbert Wiener
(1894­1964)
"I do not expect to publish
any future work of mine
which may do damage
in the hands of
irresponsible militarists..."
"A Scientist Rebels"
Atlantic Monthly, January, 1947
"... I would prefer not to join
the Board
(of Bulletin of Atomic Scientists),
since I have ... avoided
all participation in public
activities, which are not of a
purely technical nature"
John Von Neumann to
Norman Cousins
(Library of Congress archives)
May 22, 1946
Source: Heims, S.J. ­ "John Von Neumann and Norbert Wiener, from mathematics to the technologies of life and death", MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1980

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Reflection on the Social and Ethical Impacts of Computers
Rejection of Technological Determinism

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1968: Rules of Ethics in Information Processing
"It seemed that
when people entered the computer center
they left their ethics at the door"
Donn Parker, 1968
Source: "Rules of Ethics in Information Processing", Communications of the ACM, March 1968 (Vol. 11, No. 3)
Donn Parker

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1972: Hubert Dreyfus critique to Artificial Intelligence
Hubert Dreyfus
Source: Dreyfus H. (1972), What computers can't do, MIT Press.
Dreyfus challenged the 4 main assumptions of AI researches:
­ the biological assumption (the brain processes information in discrete operations
by way of some biological equivalent of on/off switches);
­ the psychological assumption (the mind can be viewed as a device operating on bits of
information according to formal rules);
­ the epistemological assumption (all knowledge can be formalized);
­ the ontological assumption (the world consists of independent facts that can be
represented by independent symbols)

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Weizenbaum's 3 Moral Laws of the Information Society
1. Human functions that require
judgement, respect, understanding, caring and love
ought not to be substituted by computers
2. Applications which have irreversible and not entirely foreseeable side effects,
that do not meet pressing human needs,
ought not to be undertaken without very careful forethought.
3. Information Technology is a matter of human choice and responsibility
Joseph Weizenbaum
(1923­2008)
1976: Joseph Weizenbaum
Source: Weizenbaum J., "Computer Power and Human Reason: From Judgment To Calculation", Freeman, 1976

11. 11 / 40Source: Weizenbaum J., "Computer Power and Human Reason: From Judgment To Calculation", Freeman, 1976
Deciding
is a Computational activity,
something that can ultimately be programmed
Deciding vs Choosing

12. 12 / 40Source: Weizenbaum J., "Computer Power and Human Reason: From Judgment To Calculation", Freeman, 1976
Choosing
is the product of Judgment, not Calculation.
It is the capacity to Choose
that ultimately makes us Human
Deciding vs Choosing

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Policy Vacuum about Computers

14. 14 / 40Source: Maner, W. (1980), Starter Kit in Computer Ethics, Hyde Park, NY: Helvetia Press and the National Information and Resource Center for Teaching Philosophy.
1978: A new branch of Applied Ethics
Walter Maner
"Computers generate wholly new ethics problems
that would not have existed if computers had not been invented
... there should be a new branch of applied ethics ...
decided to name the proposed new field Computer Ethics
... a new field that studies ethical problems
aggravated, transformed or created by computer technology"
Walter Maner, 1978

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Hans Jonas
(1903­1993)
1979: Hans Jonas
"Human survival
depends on our efforts
to care for our planet and its future"
Hans Jonas, 1979
Source: Hans Jonas, Chicago University Press; New edition edition (1 Oct 1985)

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1985: What is Computer Ethics?
Source: Moor, J. (1985) “What Is Computer Ethics?” Metaphilosophy, 16(4): 266­75.
"A typical problem in Computer Ethics arises because there is a
policy vacuum about how computer technology should be used.
Computers provide us with new capabilities and
these in turn give us new choices for action.
Often, either no policies for conduct in these situations exist or
existing policies seem inadequate.
A central task of Computer Ethics is to
determine what we should do in such cases,
that is, formulate policies to guide our actions …"
James Moor, 1985
James Moor

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Computers Ethics Theoretical Foundations

18. 18 / 40Source: Bynum T.W. (1999), Keynote at AICE99, "The Foundation of Computer Ethics", Computer and Society, June 2000.
Terrell W,Bynum
2009: Weizenbaum Award
Computer Ethics ... an applied ethics that relates to the
"... identification and analysis of the impacts of
information technology on such social and human values
like health, etc. ..."
Terrel W.Bynum, 1999
The Foundation of Computer Ethics

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"We are experiencing ... (after Copernicus, Darwin, Freud),
... the 4th [Turing] revolution ...
We do not know whether we may be the only intelligent form of life"
Luciano Floridi, 2009
Luciano Floridi
Information Ethics in InfoSphere
2013: Weizenbaum Award
for his "... significant contribution to the field of information and computer ethics,
through his research, service, and vision"
Source: Floridi L. 2009), Infosfera. Etica e filosofia nell'età dell'informazione, Giappichelli, 2009

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Co­Shaping
between Information Technology & Society

21. 21 / 40Source: Bødker, S., Ehn, P., Kammersgaard, J., Kyng, M., & Sundblad, Y. (1987). A Utopian experience: Computers and democracy: A Scandinavian challenge (pp. 251–278). Aldershot,
Kristen Nygaard
(1926­2002)
1990 Norbert Wiener Award by Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR)
"... for his pioneering work in Norway to develop 'Participatory Design'
which seeks the direct involvement of workers
in the development of the computer­based tools they use"
1984: The Utopia Project
Participatory Design
in Scandinavia

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1985: Computers as Socio­Technical Systems
"Recognition that technology is not just artifacts,
but rather artifacts embedded in social practices
and infused with social meaning,
is essential to understanding
the connection between Ethics and IT"
Deborah Johnson, 1985
Source: Johnson, D. (1985), Computer Ethics, First Edition, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice­Hall;
Deborah Johnson
2015: Weizenbaum Award
"... for her life­long contributions to information and computer ethics"

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Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility

24. 24 / 40Source: Communications of the ACM, December 1985 (Vol. 28, No. 12)
"... an example of social, ethical and professional responsibility
in refusing ... the work of the (SDI) panel ...
in his concern with public education ... for the public interest..."
Terry Winograd, 1987
CPSR President, Presents "1987­Norbert Wiener Award" to David Parnas
1984, SDI, Strategic Defense Initiative
1985: Computers and War
David Parnas

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Tim Berners Lee
1989: The World Wide Web
Source: public.web.cern.ch, Tim Berners­Lee. (n.d.). BrainyQuote.com. Retrieved November 29, 2016, from BrainyQuote.com
Robert Cailliau
"When it comes to professionalism,
it makes sense to talk about being professional in Information Technology.
Standards are vital so that IT professionals can provide systems that last."
Tim Berners Lee

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1990: Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility
Terry WinogradBatya Friedman
Source: Friedman B., Winograd T. (1990), Computing and social responsibility: a collection of course syllabi, ACM Digital Library

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1991: Conference on Computing and Values
The goals of the [] course include: "student
socialization into professionals norms,
recognition of role responsibilities,
awareness of the nature of the profession,
ability to anticipate ethical issues,
ability to reason from professional standards to practical applications,
ability to solve ethical problems morally or technically"
Don Gotterbarn, 1991
Source: (Eds.) Terrell Ward Bynum, Walter Maner, John L. Fodor (1991), Teaching Computer Ethics, Research Center on Computing and Society, S.Conn.State Univ.

28. 28 / 40Source: www.acm.org
2002: ACM SIGCAS "Making a Difference" Award
"... for research and work regarding computer and software engineering ethics"
2010: Joseph Weizenbaum Award
"... for his role in developing the moral consciousness of the profession"
Don Gotterbarn
"Computer Ethics ...
the values that guide the day­to­day activities of computing professionals"
Don Gotterbarn, 1991
Ethics and Computer Professionals

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1995: CCSR
De Montfort University, Leicester, UK

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1998: Europe's first Professor in Computer Ethics
Simon Rogerson
1999: IFIP Working Group 9.2 Namur Award
"... for outstanding contribution to the creation of awareness
of the social implications of information technology"
2005: ACM SIGCAS "Making a Difference" Award
"... for advancing the cause of computing and social responsibility"

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Lawrence Lessig
Source: creativecommons.org
"Code is Law"
Lessig, L. (1999), Code and other laws of cyberspace, Basic Books.
1999: Code is Law

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1999: IEEE / ACM Software Engineering Code of Ethics
Source: Gotterbarn D., Rogerson S., Miller K. (1999), Computer, IEEE­CS/ACM Joint Task Force on Software Engineering Ethics and Professional Practices

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"Computers and Information Technology
should help and serve people and society.
Where they do not, they should not be passively accepted"
Richard De George, 2003
Source: Richard T. De George, "The Ethics of Information Technology and Business", Blackwell Publishing, 2003, p.ix
Richard De George
Computer Ethics & Business Ethics

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Proactive Computer Ethics

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Slow Tech: a good, clean, and fair ICT
"... a new starting point for systems design: ... based on a long­term view of
the desirability and social importance of technologies,
their environmental impact and sustainability, and
the fairness and equity of the conditions of workers"
Norberto Patrignani, Diane Whitehouse, 2014
Source: Patrignani N., Whitehouse D. (2014): "Slow Tech: a quest for good, clean and fair ICT", Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, Vol. 12 Iss: 2, pp.78 ­ 92

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Sara Spiekermann
Ethical IT innovation: A Value­Based System Design approach
Source: Spiekermann S. (2016), Ethical IT innovation: A value­based system design approach, Auerbach Publications,
"A major concern is
... to make the humanities accessible to engineers
and IT innovation teams"
Sara Spiekermann, 2016

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On the road to the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Source: Siemens, Annual Report 2013
Energy
Information

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IFIP (International Federation for Information Processing)
"Global Industry Council (GIC) 2020 ­ Skill Assessment Report
August 2015
"... Revised Definition for the Computing Professional:
Given the reach of ICT in our lives, it is important for an ICT Professional to be:
­ Technically Strong
(in order to use the Right Technology for the Relevant Problem)
­ Ethically Grounded
(to ensure that Technology is put to the Right Use),
­ Socially Conscious
(so that the technical solution takes into consideration elements of Sustainability)
­ Business Savvy
(to ensure commercial viability which is required for Social Prosperity and
Funding of new Developments)" (pag.47).
2015: Definition for the Computing Professional

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1959: Olivetti Elea 9003
Adriano Olivetti
(1901­1960)
Source: Discorso in occasione della presentazione del calcolatore Olivetti Elea 9003, in "Il mondo che nasce", Edizioni di Comunità, 2013
"Con la realizzazione dell’Elea,
la nostra Società ... tocca una meta in cui direttamente si invera
quello che penso sia l’inalienabile, più alto fine che un’industria deve porsi di operare, ...
per il progresso comune ­ economico, sociale, etico ­ della intera collettività"
Adriano Olivetti, 8 Novembre 1959

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Etica e Informatica
Norberto Patrignani
Etica e Responsabilità Sociale dell'Informatica
Milano, 5 Dicembre 02016
GRAZIE!