Technology and Morality: Panel Discussion on the Future of Ethics in AI

On April 10, 2024, a panel discussion on the topic of “Ethics in AI” took place in the ceremony hall of UAS Technikum. Experts and students gathered to discuss the current and future impact of artificial intelligence on ethical issues. The event was initiated by Lars Mehnen (Lecturer & Researcher Competence Field Artificial Intelligence & Data Analytics, UAS Technikum Wien).

Wolfgang Damoser and Michael Volpert (both FOKUS:ethik association members) discussed ethical, technical, philosophical and legal aspects of technological progress together with Michael Graf (ethicist, UAS Technikum) and Lars Mehnen as well as committed students. This inspiring exchange was moderated by Gabi Holzer (ethics consultant).

Diversity of ethical approaches in AI

The discussion opened up a variety of ethical approaches, including virtue ethics, duty ethics and more, and raised the question of which of these approaches are suitable for machines in the first place. Experts explored the differences between weak and strong AI and discussed the challenges of implementing moral behavior in machines. The complexity of ethical decisions was explored in depth, particularly in the medical field, and how machines could make such decisions was questioned.
Among other things, the audience asked whether it makes sense to leave some decisions to machines. For example, some robot vacuum cleaners can tell whether there is a ladybug or a speck of dust in the way and decide to save this living creature. The panel then discussed whether this is already “machine morality” – or human morality, as the program line was written by a human.

The challenge of machine morality

The experts emphasized the challenge of developing and implementing “machine morality”, particularly in view of the complexity of ethical issues and the difficulty of translating human moral thinking into algorithms. Ethical concepts such as the distinction between weak and strong AI and the question of the autonomy of machines were discussed intensively. The discussion highlighted the need to integrate ethical principles into the development of AI systems while maintaining their performance.

The role of philosophy in AI development

The importance of philosophy for AI development was also emphasized in the discussion and it was pointed out that many of the questions raised by AI have deep philosophical roots. The need to understand and question the philosophical foundations of AI was highlighted in order to address the ethical challenges appropriately. The event highlighted the complex relationship between technology and ethics and called for the ethical dimensions of AI to be critically reflected upon and actively shaped.

In the picture, from left to right:
Gabi Holzer (moderator, ethik-beratung.at) Michael Graf (ethicist, UAS Technikum), Lars Mehnen (Lecturer & Researcher Competence Field Artificial Intelligence & Data Analytics, UAS Technikum Wien) Wolfgang Damoser (Head of Vielosophie – Philosophische Praxis in Vienna, FOKUS:ethik association member) and Michael Volpert (partner at “structr”, low-code application platform based on graph technology and FOKUS:ethik association member) at the event “Ethics in AI” in the ceremony hall of UAS Technikum Wien.