Q&A: The embedded ethics approach in AI development

An interdisciplinary team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) advocates the integration of ethics from the very beginning of the development process of new technologies. Alena Buyx, professor of ethics in medicine and health technologies, explains the embedded ethics approach. The discussions surrounding a greater emphasis on ethics in AI research have greatly intensified in recent years, to the point that one might speak of "ethics hype," and many committees in Germany and around the world such as the German Ethics Council or the EU Commission High-Level Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence have responded. They are all in agreement: More ethics are required in the development of AI-based health technologies. But how do things look in practice for engineers and designers?