Landscape of Machine Implemented Ethics

Abstract: This paper surveys the state-of-the-art in machine ethics, that is, considerations of how to implement ethical behaviour in robots, unmanned autonomous vehicles, or software systems. The emphasis is on covering the breadth of ethical theories being considered by implementors, as well as the implementation techniques being used. There is no consensus on which ethical theory is best suited for any particular domain, nor is there any agreement on which technique is best placed to implement a particular theory. Another unresolved problem in these implementations of ethical theories is how to objectively validate the implementations. The paper discusses the dilemmas being used as validating'whetstones' and whether any alternative validation mechanism exists. Finally, it speculates that an intermediate step of creating domain-specific ethics might be a possible stepping stone towards creating machines that exhibit ethical behaviour. Computers are increasingly a part of the socio-technical systems around us. Domains such as smartgrids, cloud computing, healthcare, and transport are but some examples where computers are deeply embedded. The speed and complexity of decision-making in these domains have meant that humans are ceding more and more autonomy to these computers (Nallur & Clarke 2018). Autonomy, in machines, can be defined as the effective decision-making power over goals, that influences some action in the real-world. For instance, smart traffic lights can autonomically change their timings, depending on the flow and density of traffic on the roads.