Ethical Questions

"In practical terms, where does this leave us now? We currently live in a world where war is still a reality. There are bad actors who would go on the offensive unless their intended victims are well-defended. If nations are going to safeguard their interests, there will be a continuing, though hopefully lessening need for military technology to support this imperative.\n\nProfessor Singer suggests these seven questions to help a technologist decide what an ethical course of action is:\n\n1. From whom is it ethical to take research and development money? From whom should one refuse to accept funding?\n\n2. What attributes should one design into a new technology, such as its weaponization, autonomy or intelligence? What attributes should be limited or avoided?\n\n3. What organizations and individuals should be allowed to buy and use the technology? Who should not?\n\n4. What type of training or licensing should the users have?\n\n5. When someone is harmed because of the technology’s actions, who is responsible? How is this determined?\n\n6. Who should own the wealth of information the technology gathers about the world around them? Who should not?\n\nAs a general principle, the abuse of something should not in itself prohibit the use of it. The potential for people to abuse something should not prevent it from being used in non-harmful ways. Motor cars and drugs would be two examples out of many. Military technology would be another. If the net good outweighs the net harm, a compelling argument exists to use it. Where to draw the line is often unclear. Each case must be considered individually and on its merits."