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Ethicists were hired to save tech’s soul. Will anyone let them?
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Ethicists were hired to save tech’s soul. Will anyone let them?

Firms are adding ethical thinking to their processes, but ethical outcomes are optional.

Linda Kinstler
Protocol, 2020
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8

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  • Comprehensive
  • Analytical
  • Applicable

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Technology companies are facing public backlash over their innovations’ impact on society. As a result, companies have started to hire “chief ethics officers” to help them align their products with human values. But are these efforts simply designed to regain public trust and pacify the conscience of employees, or are they the first step toward a universal code of ethics for emerging technology? Science reporter Linda Kinstler talked to company insiders to see where the industry is at. She provides a useful overview for anyone concerned about tech’s influence on society.

Take-Aways

  • An increasing number of tech companies are hiring ethics officers to align their products with human values.
  • Apple co-founder Mike Markkula is bringing ethical debates into the technology development process.
  • Efforts to infuse technology with ethics have so far produced modest results.

About the Author

Linda Kinstler is a freelance writer and PhD candidate in the Rhetoric Department at the University of California, Berkeley. She was a contributing writer at Politico Europe and the managing editor of The New Republic.

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