Ethics In The Killer Robot
Since I came here I've been told to reflect on a topic that - I must admit - I had never had the chance to do so before. Surely, it did occur to talk about it in the philosophy class in the twelfth grade, but reflecting upon it or applying it - never. The topic is ethics and this report is actually meant to show my understanding of it.
Ethics (or moral philosophy) is considered to be a "science" that tries to teach us, human beings with a conscience and moral understanding, based on some conventions also created by us, the difference between right and wrong. However, it cannot completely define a sharp limit between them, since there aren't any scientific facts that can help it do so. Therefore the definition of "good" is entirely subjective …show more content…
Although it is a fictional story, it is meant to show exactly the consequences of an unethical behavior.
The killer robot case has violated most of the rules, starting from the first section in the ACM code of conduct. The code states that a company (its members) must “contribute to society and human-being” by “minimizing negative consequences of computing systems, including threats to health and safety”. This rule was violated the moment Ray Johnson decided not to exhaustively test the program of the robot, although he knew there was something wrong with Randy Samuels’s code. This decision also violates the second point in the general moral imperatives section which is “avoid harm to others”.
When Ray Johnson and Cindy Yardley decided to fake the tests and also hide this fact from a co-worker, Sam Reynolds, (“I don’t want Reynolds to know anything about this”) another rule (“be honest and trustworthy”) was broken. In the ACM code of ethics it is clearly stated that “Without trust an organization cannot function effectively. The honest computing professional will not make deliberately false or deceptive claims about a system or a system design, but will instead provide full disclosure of all pertinent system limitations and
Ethics (or moral philosophy) is considered to be a "science" that tries to teach us, human beings with a conscience and moral understanding, based on some conventions also created by us, the difference between right and wrong. However, it cannot completely define a sharp limit between them, since there aren't any scientific facts that can help it do so. Therefore the definition of "good" is entirely subjective …show more content…
Although it is a fictional story, it is meant to show exactly the consequences of an unethical behavior.
The killer robot case has violated most of the rules, starting from the first section in the ACM code of conduct. The code states that a company (its members) must “contribute to society and human-being” by “minimizing negative consequences of computing systems, including threats to health and safety”. This rule was violated the moment Ray Johnson decided not to exhaustively test the program of the robot, although he knew there was something wrong with Randy Samuels’s code. This decision also violates the second point in the general moral imperatives section which is “avoid harm to others”.
When Ray Johnson and Cindy Yardley decided to fake the tests and also hide this fact from a co-worker, Sam Reynolds, (“I don’t want Reynolds to know anything about this”) another rule (“be honest and trustworthy”) was broken. In the ACM code of ethics it is clearly stated that “Without trust an organization cannot function effectively. The honest computing professional will not make deliberately false or deceptive claims about a system or a system design, but will instead provide full disclosure of all pertinent system limitations and