This assignment asks you to work through the Ethics Protocol for the technology that your discussion group selected last week. (If you’re not sure which technology your discussion group selected, ask your TF.)
As you answer the following questions, imagine that you are the designer of the technology in question. You may want to write in bullet points instead of full sentences; that’s fine. But be prepared to discuss your answers with your peers in class!
- Envision futures: Imagine possible uses for the technology you’re designing. What will the world look like with your technology in it? Are there any domain-hopping uses for your technology?
- Identify stakeholders: Who (which groups or individuals) or what (which objects, ideals, etc.) stands to benefit or lose from your technology? List at least ten stakeholders, and be sure to consider marginalized groups and subgroups.
- Identify values: Look at the “possible futures” you envisioned in step 1. According to the ethical lenses we’ve discussed, or some others you find useful, which futures are best for which stakeholders? According to what values? (In other words: what values does each future promote? For whom?)
- Identify value-laden choice points: What choices in the design process seem to make a difference with respect to the possible futures you envision?
- Choose and justify: Make a choice at one of the choice points you’ve identified in step 4. Then, think about how you might justify it to the people who are made worst off by your choice.
