Technology and ethics: where should we draw the line?

I believe that technology is not good or bad, it is the purpose of using it and the limitations we place on it that make the difference between its influence and the society. With the rapid development of technologies, laws, cultures, and moral frameworks cannot keep pace, and it is no longer a question of whether or not we should be innovative, but how far to go before innovations start to corrupt human values.

The future of a planet without morals is dangerous

The advances in technology have led to certain indisputable positive effects: better healthcare, global interconnectedness, and unparalleled access to information. But, the speed of innovation can pose grave dangers when it is performed at a greater pace than ethics. Algorithms that act as agents of bias, data abuse, invasion of privacy and the lack of restraint can demonstrate that ethical advancement may undermine trust and social inequality. I believe that it should be responsibility-driven innovation, rather than capability-driven.

Privacy: This is a Non-Negotiating Frontier

Personal privacy should be one of the evident ethical lines. With the rise in the strength of technologies such as artificial intelligence, surveillance systems, and analytics of big data, people are becoming less and less able to control their information. My view is that technology must help people become strong, rather than spy and manipulate them. Minimum ethical consideration should be transparency in data collection and actual consent of the user as an option, rather than a feature.

The human judgment should always be kept in mind

Processes can be optimized by automation and AI, but human judgment must not be completely substituted, especially in such fields as healthcare, justice, education, and employment. To my mind, it is dangerous to give away life-changing choices to machines as that is the way of dehumanization. Technology is not supposed to substitute the human factor of empathy, holding people accountable, and moral judgment.

Social Responsibility should not be subordinated to Profit

A lot of ethical issues come out in a situation where social consequences are compromised by commercial concerns. In the cases when technologies are created to engage, make a profit, or be controlled, they may promote addiction, misinformation, or exploitation. In my opinion, the ethical boundary is crossed once technology is more concerned about money than health. Sustainable innovation needs to strike some equilibrium between profitability and social impact in the long run.

Diversity and Equity Are Important

Technology should be ethical to all and not the privileged few. Algorithms' prejudice and unequal access to such digital tools benefit the inequalities created by those tools. I believe that this should be drawn when technology locks out, discriminates against, or otherwise unfairly disadvantages particular groups. Ethical design is innovative and demands varied points of view and constant review.

Responsibility Is Necessary

In cases where technology is causing harm, the blame cannot be transferred to algorithms or systems. Technology is a creation of humans, and humans are supposed to be responsible to its aftermath. There must be clear governance, a code of ethics and regulation in order to make sure that technology is in tandem with societal values.

But where shall we begin and end? I believe that the boundary is whereby technology starts to undermine the dignity of human beings, privacy, fairness and their autonomy. Human life should be improved by innovation and not dictated by it. Incorporating ethics into the design, development and deployment, we will be in a position to make sure that technology continues to be the source of progress and not a menacing factor to the things that make us who we are.