12: Ethics, Sustainability, and Social Issues in Information Systems
- Page ID
- 45520
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)- 12.0: Introduction
- This page discusses the ethical implications of information systems, stressing the importance of balancing technological progress with sustainability and social concerns. It raises issues of privacy, accountability, and human dignity, advocating for responsible governance in technology use.
- 12.1: Ethics, Sustainability, and Use of Information Systems
- This page discusses the importance of virtue ethics in fostering moral character, emphasizing honesty and compassion in decision-making. It explores the role of sustainable information systems (IS) in promoting environmental responsibility alongside profit. Businesses should balance the three Ps of Corporate Social Responsibility—People, Planet, and Profit—while integrating technology to enhance transparency and ethical standards.
- 12.2: Intellectual Property
- This page discusses U.S. intellectual property (IP) laws, including copyright, patents, trade secrets, and trademarks, emphasizing their importance in a tech-driven economy. It explains the challenges of copyright in the age of AI, the costly patent application process and strong protections they offer, and the indefinite protection of trade secrets. Companies like Qualcomm and Google utilize IP laws extensively to safeguard innovations.
- 12.3: Ethics of Artificial Intelligence Development and Machine Learning
- This page emphasizes the necessity of oversight and accountability in AI systems to address fairness, bias, transparency, and explainability. It advocates for ethical governance frameworks, multi-stakeholder involvement, and the need for ongoing human evaluation in high-stakes AI applications. The roles of AI ethicists and the importance of global cooperation, legal regulations, and diverse development teams are highlighted to mitigate risks and maintain public trust.
- 12.4: Ethics in Health Informatics
- This page emphasizes the importance of patient autonomy and the protection of health information from unauthorized access. It highlights ethical governance in AI by addressing transparency, accountability, and algorithmic bias to avoid health disparities. Patients should have ownership of their data with robust cybersecurity, informed consent, and education.
- 12.5: Key Terms
- This page offers definitions and explanations of key concepts in ethics, law, AI, trade agreements, and sustainability. It covers terms like adversarial debiasing, copyright law, corporate social responsibility, and dark patterns. Ethical theories such as deontology and utilitarianism are discussed, alongside intellectual property law and patient privacy.
- 12.6: Summary
- This page explores the ethical implications and sustainability issues of information systems, highlighting utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics while advocating systems thinking. It covers environmental, economic, and social sustainability, promoting Green IS and Lean IS practices. The discussion also addresses intellectual property rights and their impact on access disparities.
- 12.7: Review Questions
- This page explores ethical theories, focusing on utilitarianism, and addresses intellectual property, the role of WIPO, and AI's ethical considerations, particularly explainability and transparency. It highlights the responsibility in high-stakes decisions and underscores the importance of practices like bias testing, anonymization, and inclusive design to promote fairness and efficiency across different systems.
- 12.8: Check Your Understanding Questions
- This page discusses critical elements of information systems, including ethical decision-making, sustainability, copyright, and the significance of trademarks. It highlights the need for explainable AI and methods to manage algorithmic bias, stressing the importance of multistakeholder collaboration and robust data governance for patient privacy in healthcare systems.
- 12.9: Application Questions
- This page examines ethical considerations across individual, organizational, and societal contexts, highlighting the influence of decision-making factors. It addresses intellectual property in technological innovation, protections available, and explores ethical risks associated with AI and automation. The text emphasizes the importance of transparency and supplier declarations for ethical AI governance.