When is Deception OK? Developing the IEEE Recommended Practice for Ethical Considerations of Emulated Empathy in Partner-based General-Purpose Artificial Intelligence Systems (IEEE P7014.1)

Abstract

This paper introduces work by the IEEE P7014.1 Working Group on the Recommended Practice for Ethical Considerations of Emulated Empathy in Partner-based General-Purpose Artificial Intelligence Systems. This paper briefly details the scope and parameters of the standard, why it matters, and key ethical problems found regarding use of modern AI systems that emulate empathy for human AI-partnering. Some of these problems are fairly obvious, and others are less so, but no less important. A few however require deeper consideration because, like many important ethical discussions, they do not have easy answers. One such question is when is deception in human-computer interaction acceptable, particularly where deception overlaps with animism and anthropomorphism and may be exacerbated by emulations of empathy? This paper lingers on this question, drawing on philosophical and ethical discussion about the nature of deception, contexts where it is acceptable and beneficial, and contexts where it is morally out of scope.