Artificial Intelligence Ethics from the Perspective of Educational Technology Companies and Schools

Abstract

This chapter discusses the ethical issues and solutions that educational technology (EdTech) companies and schools consider during their daily work. As an example, two Finnish cases are provided, in which companies and schools were interviewed about the problems they have experienced. The chapter first reviews the regulations and guidelines behind ethical AI. There are a vast number of guidelines, regulations, and principles for ethical AI, but implementation guidelines for how that knowledge should be put into practices are lacking. The problem is acute because, with the quick pace of technological development, schools are in danger of being left behind without sufficient education for effectively managing their uses of AI’s possibilities and coping with its challenges. Issues related to security and trustworthiness are also a growing concern. This chapter does not solve the ethical problems experienced by companies and schools but brings new perspectives into view in how they appear in the light of ethical principles such as beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, justice, and explicability. The aim is not only to continue the discussion in the field but to find ways to reduce the gap between decision-makers, businesses, and schools.