Automation and Ethics

Abstract

Decision-makers in business can expect to face a range of new ethical challenges connected to automation and digitalization. One notable example is that of the programming of self-driving cars. It is likely that these cars can contribute to considerably safer traffic and fewer accidents, as these vehicles will be able to respond much faster and more reliably than fallible human drivers. However, they also raise ethical questions about how to prioritize human lives in situations where either people inside or outside the car will die. Here the reflections are similar to those we have encountered with regard to the trolley problem. Another set of ethical challenges arise in connection with automation and employment. Companies will be in a position to automate processes that have previously been handled by humans, with the aim of cutting costs and enhancing product quality. It will also make current employees redundant. This chapter introduces one conceptual distinction relevant to keep track of automation and ethics between proscriptive and prescriptive ethics, or between avoid-harm ethics and do-good ethics.