Atomist or Holist? A Diagnosis and Vision for More Productive Interdisciplinary AI Ethics Dialogue
This addresses the problem of unproductive interdisciplinary dialogue in AI ethics for researchers and policymakers, but is incremental as it builds on existing philosophical frameworks.
The paper diagnoses the conflict in AI ethics debates as stemming from atomist and holist ideologies, and proposes strategies to reduce polarization and ensure AI research benefits society.
In response to growing recognition of the social impact of new AI-based technologies, major AI and ML conferences and journals now encourage or require papers to include ethics impact statements and undergo ethics reviews. This move has sparked heated debate concerning the role of ethics in AI research, at times devolving into name-calling and threats of "cancellation." We diagnose this conflict as one between atomist and holist ideologies. Among other things, atomists believe facts are and should be kept separate from values, while holists believe facts and values are and should be inextricable from one another. With the goal of reducing disciplinary polarization, we draw on numerous philosophical and historical sources to describe each ideology's core beliefs and assumptions. Finally, we call on atomists and holists within the ever-expanding data science community to exhibit greater empathy during ethical disagreements and propose four targeted strategies to ensure AI research benefits society.