IEEE Global Initiative Aims to Advance Ethical Design of AI and Autonomous Systems

This article originally appeared in the March 2017 issue of IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine. We thank RAM and the authors for giving us permission to reproduce it here. Algorithms with learning abilities collect personal data that are then used without users' consent and even without their knowledge; autonomous weapons are under discussion in the United Nations; robots stimulating emotions are deployed with vulnerable people; research projects are funded to develop humanoid robots; and artificial intelligence-based systems are used to evaluate people. One can consider these examples of AI and autonomous systems (AS) as great achievements or claim that they are endangering human freedom and dignity. We need to make sure that these technologies are aligned to humans in terms of our moral values and ethical principles to fully benefit from the potential of them.