David Pastor-Escuredo

David Pastor-Escuredo

Work must be reshaped in the upcoming new era characterized by new challenges and the presence of new technologies and computational tools. Over-automation seems to be the driver of the digitalization process. Substitution is the paradigm leading Artificial Intelligence and robotics development against human cognition. Digital technology should be designed to enhance human skills and make more productive use of human cognition and capacities. Digital technology is characterized also by scalability because of its easy and inexpensive deployment. Thus, automation can lead to the absence of jobs and scalable negative impact in human development and the performance of business. A look at digitalization from the lens of Sustainable Development Goals can tell us how digitalization impact in different sectors and areas considering society as a complex interconnected system. Here, reflections on how AI and Data impact future of work and sustainable development are provided grounded on an ethical core that comprises human-level principles and also systemic principles.

David Pastor-Escuredo, Ricardo Vinuesa

The digital revolution has brought ethical crossroads of technology, behavior and truth. However, the need of a comprehensive and constructive ethical framework is emerging as digital platforms have been used to build a global chaotic and truth-agnostic system. The unequal structure of the global system leads to dynamic changes and systemic problems, which have a more significant impact on those that are most vulnerable. Ethical frameworks based only on the individual level are no longer sufficient as they lack the necessary articulation to provide solutions to the new challenges. A new ethical vision must comprise the understanding of the scales and complex interconnections, as well as the causal chains of modern social systems. Many of these systems are internally fragile and very sensitive to external factors and threats, which lead to unethical situations that require systemic solutions still centered on individuals. Furthermore, the multi-layered net-like social tissue generates clusters of power that prevent certain communities from proper development. Digital technology has also impacted at the individual level posing the risk of a more homogeneous, predictable and ultimately controllable humankind. To preserve the core of humanity and the aspiration of common truth, a new ethical framework must empower individuals and uniqueness, as well as cultural heterogeneity, tackling the negative outcomes of digitalization. Only combining human-centered and collectiveness-oriented digital development will it be possible to construct new social models and interactions that are ethical. This vision requires science to enhance ethical frameworks and principles using computational tools to support truth-grounded actions, so as to transform and configure properties of the social systems.

David Pastor-Escuredo

Ethics is an ancient matter for human kind, from the origin of civilizations ethics have been related with the most relevant human concerns and determined cultures. Ethics was initially related to religion, politics and philosophy to then be fragmented into specific communities of practice. The undergoing digital revolution enabled by Artificial Intelligence and Data are bringing ethical wicked problems in the social application of these technologies. However, a broader perspective is also necessary. We now face global and highly dynamics challenges that affect groups and individuals, specially those that are most vulnerable. Individual-oriented ethics are no longer sufficient, the new ethic has to consider the several scales in which the current complex society is organized and the interconnections between different systems. Ethics should also give a response to the systemic changes in behavior produced by external factors and threats. Furthermore, AI and digital technologies are global and make us more connected and smart but also more homogeneous, predictable and ultimately controllable. Ethic must take a stand to preserve and keep promoting individuals rights and uniqueness and cultural heterogeneity. Digital technologies have to the foundation for new models of society and help ensure ethical individual and collective values. For these reasons science has to be at the core of the new ethic as it helps understand the complex world. Finally, AI has advanced through the ambition to humanize matter, so we should expect ethics to give a response to the future status of machines and their interactions with humans.