mcspoofi

[mcspoofi]

4/15/21 Lecture Notes

Robot ethics:

The source that I used is https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/robot-ethics.

This short summary discusses different issues that are discussed about in roboethics.  An issue discussed about is robotic warfare.  A big question that’s asked is if robots should be programmed to follow a specific code of ethics as robots are getting more technologically advanced.  It also talks about if it’s possible for robots to learn about advanced topics such as privacy and the law.  Could a robot even be programmed to learn about such topics? And should the robots be obliged to follow these code of ethics from their creator?  Although they were created by humans, robots may have a “conscious” of its own.  After talking about these topics, the book then goes to talk about more ethical questions, such as if we should have robots as a sexual partner and if robots should be given human rights despite it not being actually human.  Because technology is rapidly evolving, ethics often have a hard time catching up to it.  The rapid evolution causes roboethics to have to change constantly.

[mcspoofi]

4/13/21  Lecture Notes

Robotics:

The source that I used was https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robot_ethics. 

Robot ethics refers to ethical concerns surrounding robots.  Example: Determining if robots are harmful to humans.  Robot ethics isn’t actually talking about the ethics for robots.  It’s actually talking about how us humans behave towards robots.  Robot ethics is a thing because we want to ensure the safety of the human race as robots become more technologically advanced.  Serious discussion for roboethics began in 2000.  Roboethics requires the input of several professionals from different field such as computer science, biology, and psychology.  The term “roboethics” was most likely coined from Gianmarco Veruggio.  One of the most important topics discussed in roboethics is how we treat things that are non-human or non-biological.  How are we supposed to interact with things that are “foreign” and aren’t alive?  One of the most important events for roboethics was the 2004 conference “First International Symposium on Roboethics.”  This was a collaborative conference among different colleges/universities.  

3 main ideas came from this conference, according to anthropologist Daniela Cerqui:

People not interested in ethics may think that they don’t have a social/moral responsibility since they believe that their work actions are technical.

Short-term ethical questions are based on if it’s “good” or “bad” and refers to the values of a society or culture.  For example, some believe that robots should be helpful to humans in several areas.  These questions are contemporary values of industrialized countries.

Long-term ethical questions know about gap between industrialized and poor countries.  It asks questions that think about if the industrialized countries should change the development of robots to be beneficial to the poor countries as well.

[mcspoofi]

4/1/21 Last Lecture Form

learn to apologizeLast Lecture Discussion Question

1. The video was intended as life advice to whom?  The lecture was intended for mainly his kids, but also for the audience listening to this lecture.

2. List the advice items that you/your group can recall below. (Many, but not all, are related to ethics.) For each, note whether you agree or not.

Managing time as if it’s money: I agree with this advice.  Money has a certain value to it.  If we do not treat our time with any value, we will end up regretting it at the end.  Treating our time as if it’s worthless will cause others to treat it as worthless as well.

Listening to feedback from others:  Although it may be annoying to listen to people “criticize” you, their feedback is important for self-growth.  Receiving feedback from others enables you to work on your problems and helps you become a better person yourself.   Without the feedback of others, you will never grow as a person and will not better yourself.

Don’t obsess over what other people think:  This is your life! You don’t live your life trying to please others.  You live life to please only yourself.  Be your own person.

Learn to apologize:  Learning to apologize will help you live your life without any regrets.  If you hold onto these regrets, you will never be happy with yourself.  Apologizing for something is the best remedy for moving on with your life.  Don’t let the past hold you back.  Move forward by apologizing.

[mcspoofi]

3/30/21 Lecture Notes

“The Last Lecture”

Randy Pausch delivered his final speech in September 2007.  After being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a year before his final speech.  Trying to help reduce the spread of the cancer, all of the treatments or medicines that Pausch did/used worked to no avail.  He was only given less than a year to live. Carnegie Mellon University asks Pausch to give a “last lecture” after finding out about his terminal cancer.  Being hesitant at first, Pausch thinks about cancelling the lecture.  However, with the persuasion of his wife, Pausch decides to do this lecture so that he can leave an impact and legacy for himself.  Growing up, Pausch had a loving mother and a hard-working father.  Pausch played football, wanted to become Captain Kirk (from Star Trek), and was obsessed with science.  Though he had many childhood wishes and dreams, he was able to fulfill them as an adult in one way or another.  In college, Pausch goes to Brown University, where he learns about computer science from Professor Andy Van Dam.  After graduating, he starts a family of his own with his wife, Jai, and his three children.  In 2006, Pausch receives the fateful news that he has pancreatic cancer.  He then talks about some important life lessons such as “managing time as if it’s money” and “listening to feedback from others.”  Recounting on some past experiences, Pausch talks about some of his achievements in life like his project “Alice” and co-creating the ETC (Entertainment Technology Center) at Carnegie Mellon University.  After recounting these experiences, he gives the audience more life lessons that he lived by.  Lastly, he discusses the dream that he has for his children.  He wants them to be passionate about chasing dreams of their own.  He then finishes the speech talking about how this lecture is for his kids so he can give them a piece of himself so that they may remember him.

This speech was very inspirational and heart-warming to listen to.  Despite the cards that Pausch was dealt, he made the most out of the deck of cards that he was dealt with until the very end.

[mcspoofi]

3/11/21  Notes

Code of Ethics for Social Media “Influencers”:

Racism/Hate Speech: Don’t support or post anything that encourages or depicts anything that’s for racism or hate speech.  We’re in a society that’s evolving for change.  Be the change and don’t hold onto outdated beliefs that are harmful to others.

Integrity: Hold yourself accountable for any past actions that may have been harmful/hurtful to other people.  Don’t sweep your past mistakes under the rug.  Take responsibility and admit past wrongdoings as a human being.  Your past will come back to haunt you if you never address any past actions.

Professionalism: Don’t post anything that may hurt your image.  Don’t bring petty drama to yourself.  Maintain a professional image so that others can respect you as an influencer.

Being original:  Be original! Don’t try to copy someone else just for the sake of fame! You are your own person, act like yourself.  People will accept you as you are if you act like yourself instead of trying to have a facade that isn’t the true you!

Plagiarism:  Never plagiarize someone else’s ideas, videos, etc.  Give credit when it is do!  Plagiarism is never an okay thing to do.

Honesty:  Be honest with yourself and others.  Being honest with yourself will help you mentally and can help you be a better person!

Kindness:  Be kind to other influencers, the public, and your fans!  You’re someone that many people look up to.  Set a good example for those people.  Being kind also helps you maintain a professional image!

[mcspoofi]

3/9/21 Notes

Ethical codes:

A code of ethics is a set of rules for ethical conduct.  There are code of ethics all around us!  For example, the ACM has one of its own.  These code of ethics are usually tells the reader about what happens if they do read the code of ethics, how to follow the code of ethics, and the rules of the code of ethics itself.  Nearly every job profession has a code of ethics!  For example, doctors and teachers follow a code of ethics that teaches them how to professionally do their jobs and outlines the boundaries for the workers.  Besides job professions, your local park may have a code of ethics for you to follow!  These parks may tell you how to behave in the park and gives you tips on how to follow their code of ethics (think of a trail having rules on how to dispose of trash).  Ethical codes are influenced by the big three ethical ideas (Virtue ethics, utilitarianism ethics, and deontology ethics) and by a set of laws/rules not based on ethics.

I believe that the “Rabbit Ridge Mountain Bike Trail” has a combination of deontologically, utilitarianism, and virtue ethics in its code of ethics.  

deontologically: Don’t do actions that will break the rules of the trail.

utilitarianism: The park is for everyone, don’t ruin it for everyone else just because you don’t want to follow the rules. 

virtue:  Display good character traits that help keep the trail clean! Treat the park as if you own it.

[mcspoofi]

2/25/21 Notes

Interactive Video Part 2:

I have decided to play “The Lab”

I decided to play as Dr. Aaron Hutchins, Principal Investigator (PI).

An old friend, Karl, wants me to speak at his first conference.  Despite being busy with everything, Karl insists that you come to this meeting.  After the phone call, Dr. Ali comes in to talk to you, he was your mentor/PI when you were in college.  One of my post docs suddenly comes in and looks tired.  I decided to let him “go home” since self-care is important.

While talking to one of my post docs, a grad student named Kim comes in and asks for help on her work.  Although it’s deemed low priority, you wonder if you should stop to talk to her.  I decided to “talk to her now” because every student deserves to be treated fairly.

Another grad student named Steve interrupts me, he seems worried about something.  I decided to meet with him.  He thinks about taking a break from school and asks for your help.  Meeting with Steve shows me that I should treat my students equally no matter if they’re post doc or grad student.  By listening to him, I was able to make a huge difference in his life.

 Kim goes to talk to you about a post doc Greg’s paper and how it’s different from what she remembered from the rotation project.  Greg’s paper is recently published and she brings up the fact that some of the labs that she did—that’s referenced in the paper—is different from how Kim did these labs mentioned.  She then gives me notes hinting at that Greg may have done something that wasn’t right.  Though these notes are different from the published results, I wonder if Kim is correct even though she’s just a grad student.  I decide to “humor her” and realize that I should look into this that needs actions from me.

Thinking about how to handle this, I decide to go to my university’s research integrity officer (RIO) instead of handling it myself because RIOs handle this sort of thing.  She then explains to you what she has to do and I understand it.  She then does her thing and finds out that Greg had been cutting corners.

I successfully navigated through the challenges of being a PI!

[mcspoofi]

2/23/21 Notes

Interactive Video Part 1:

I decided to play the “Research Clinic” Interactive Video.

I decided to play as Jan Klein, RN and Clinical research coordinator.  I chose her because her role seemed interesting to me from the get-go. “a clinical research coordinator, an overworked nurse who works for a PI who pressures her to falsify data and violate study protocols;”

The PI that I was working for wanted to begin on this new study, however the PI didn’t get permission from the IRB to begin this project first.  The PI pressures me to go ahead and start the study despite no approval from the IRB.  I chose to “talk to my supervisor” because I believed that asking your supervisor is important on stuff like this.  The supervisor intervenes and the PI actually waits to do this study.

I organized a meeting for the study trial staff and have thought about having regular meetings with the staff.  I think that it’s good for the staff to stay up date.  I decide to “plan regular meetings with the staff” which helped the techs stay up to date with the protocol.

After deciding to host regular meetings with the trial staff, I wonder if I should do the same for the PI, I decide to “pull him aside” and we now have weekly meetings as well too.  Despite status within a hospital, it’s important to check in regularly with everyone.

The Caspers want to participate in this study no matter what, however, they try to rush the sign-up process and is placing a lot of pressure on me.  I decided to tell the subjects that “I need to be thorough” because being thorough helps reduce the number of problems within the future.  

The Caspers try to rush the sign-up process no matter what.  After quickly going over what the study is going to be about, Ms. Casper begins to look confused about the trial.  I decide to “take more time to talk about this study to make sure she understands” because it’s important for everyone to understand what they’re getting themselves into.  Thoroughly talking about this with her helped the Caspers understand the study more!

The PI recruits 4 new test subjects, however, these 4 don’t meet the eligibility for the study in one way or another.  2 of the subjects are already responding to their current treatment plan while the other 2 haven’t tested positive for B-RAF mutation, which could put them at risk if they are to participate.  I have decided to “talk to my supervisor” once again and she’s able to convince the PI to take those 4 people off the study.  Had I not done so, the study would’ve went all wrong.

After typing in some data, I receive a message from my son asking about dinner,  I contemplate about whether I should record the data now or if I should go home and do it later.  I decided to “record the data now” because it’s important to maintain the research’s integrity and for the data to be up-to-date in real time.

The PI makes me come to his office and then says that my performance for this study has been “slipping” and says that if I don’t tighten up my performance then he’ll replace with me another CRC.   Needing to keep this job, I promise to do anything.  5 subjects have already dropped out of the study, which causes me to worry since the PI will blame me for it and will have the study push back because of it.  Thinking about if I should fabricate data on a subject, I decide to not do so and to drop the subject all together.  We shouldn’t fabricate any data, especially in a study.  Because we didn’t fake any data, the IRB audit went good.

I realize that some of the subjects’ medical records don’t match up with their research records and I don’t know. what to do about this.  I decide to “report my concerns” to Dr. Rosenberg because that seems like the right thing to do.  The RIO is called and it’s noted that the PI had be making false data this whole time.  The safety of the subjects and the integrity of the study is important.  Reporting it was the right choice.  Because of all these choices, I successfully have become a CRC.

[mcspoofi]

2/11/21 Notes

Sleazy Rhetorical Devices:

Now what is a logical fallacy? A logical fallacy is “a reasoning mistake causing an invalid belief.”  Logical fallacies are used to manipulate and mislead the public.  Many politicians and Roman politicians have used logical fallacies in their speeches to mislead their audience.  An example of a logical fallacy is an “ad hominem,” which means “to the man,” is whenever someone personally attacks the other person instead of the actual argument.  For example, a lawyer says that his client can’t be guilty of murder since he’s poor. Roman politicians were taught oratory classes in school which helped them control the general public, which consisted of uneducated workers.  This explains why many of the names of logical fallacies are in Latin!  Besides the classic ad hominem, there are other forms such as abusive ad hominem and tu toque ad hominem.  Abusive ad hominem is arguing against something by attacking the person arguing for it.  For example, Trump calling Hillary Clinton “Crooked Hillary” is an example of abusive ad hominem.  Tu toque ad hominem (tu toque = “you also”) is whenever someone turns the argument on the person making the argument (or just calling out hypocrisy). For example, if a bully said “Yo, bullying isn’t cool.” then the other person could flip the argument onto the bully by saying “Didn’t you beat up kids though?”  I think that tu toque ad hominem is quite easy to identify.  I feel that tu toque ad hominem is the most used form of  ad hominem.   Besides ad hominem, there are other forms of logical fallacies such as the ad feminam argument, circumstantial ad hominem, Guilt by association!

Scenario 1a (you are on the jury and the jury is discussing a verdict):

. . . “Take the defendant’s lawyer’s argument with a grain of salt – being paid to give a one-sided argument”

. . . . . .logical fallacy, or logically ok?

I think that is logically ok since it’s the defendant’s lawyer’s job to try and prove that their client is innocent.  Although the things that the lawyer logical fallacies, I think that it’s logically ok for them to give a one-sided argument in favor of their client.

. . . “The defendant’s lawyer’s argument is wrong – being paid to give a one-sided argument”

. . . . . .logical fallacy, or logically ok?

Like I said for my first answer, it is logically ok since it is their job to defend their client.

[mcspoofi]

2/9/21 Notes

 Information about David Hume:

Born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1711

One of the most important philosophers in history that written in English.

Went to university at age 12, but left at age 15 with no degree

Went on to write several major works.

In 1751, he wrote “An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals”

This piece of literature wasn’t a book length.  It was more of a chapter length.

He concluded that the passions (emotion and feeling) are the root of ethics instead of logic and reason.

The main idea of Hume’s philosophy is that sentiments are a universal thing.  If ethics spring from reason, that’d mean that the conclusion about ethics should similar for all beings.  Sentiment, however, allows human ethics to be unique and distinct.  Though sentiment is universal, only some parts of sentiment is universal.  Hume believed that a universal sentiment is a foundation for ethics.  He also focused on benevolence.  Benevolence is universally liked because it’s useful to our society (this is similar to the utilitarianism ethics in a way).  Although it’s universally liked, is benevolence the same for different species (such as dogs, apes, etc.)?  Could emotions really be the basis for all ethics?  The only downside for sentiments is that it varies from person to person.  We all have different ideas of what is and what is not ethical.  Despite this difference, ethics is still important to us because it gives us a sense of judgement on what to do and what not to do.

[mcspoofi]

1/28/21 Lecture Notes

 3 MAIN ETHICAL THEORIES

The three main ethical theories are Virtue Ethics, Utilitarian Ethics, and Deontological Ethics.

Virtue Ethics: This is the “classical view” that’s over a thousands years old.  Philosophers such as Socrates and Confucius used this ethical theory.  In order to be ethical, you must have a good character and virtuous character traits.  However a problem arises, it doesn’t actually explain ethics good despite its good practical guidance.  When explaining virtue ethics, you should think about what makes good character and not what is ethics.  To fully achieve virtual ethics, you should have good traits and then think about how you’ll improve these traits.

Utilitarian Ethics: Utilitarian ethics derive from the word “utility,” which means usefulness.  The results determines if something is ethical even if the methods that someone did to get those results aren’t good.  For example, if someone ran over a food stand to avoid a group of children, utilitarian ethics may deem the driver was ethical since no humans were killed although he destroyed someone’s property.

On the other hand, deontologism ethics is the complete opposite of utilitarian ethics.  Instead of having the results determine if something is ethical, deontologism ethics focuses on if the actions itself is ethical.  Using the same scenario, deontologism ethics would say the driver was unethical because they destroyed someone else’s property.  We also use this set of ethics to determine if something that we do is ethical.

Scenario A:

A hungry homeless person asks for food money

You give some & he uses it to get drunk

Were you ethical? (Utilitarianism vs. Deontologism vs. Virtue)

Virtue: Yes you were ethical since you showed off good character traits such as compassion and selflessness for this man although he bought booze.

Utilitarianism: You weren’t ethical since he lied used to it purchase booze for himself.

Deontologism: You were ethical because of your action of giving him money when he had none.

He buys a hamburger

Were you ethical? (Utilitarianism vs. Deontologism vs. Virtue)

Virtue: Yes you were ethical since you showed off good character traits such as compassion and selflessness for this man although he bought booze.

Utilitarianism: You were ethical since he purchased a burger for himself

Deontologism: You were ethical because of your action of giving him money when he had none.

“The ends justify the means”

Do they? (Utilitarianism vs. Deontologism vs. Virtue)

Virtue: It depends.  If the end is a result from bad character traits, then it’t not justifiable.

Utilitarianism: Yes, if the results are good, then the means of how you reached it don’t matter.

Deontologism: No, if the end was bad, you should look at the means instead.

Is the concept of “a war to end all wars” ethical?

(Utilitarianism vs. Deontologism vs. Virtue)

Virtue: It depends, if the war wasn’t necessary then it’d be unethical, however if it was necessary then it’d be ethical

Utilitarianism: This is ethical because it ended any chance of a future war happening despite the number of deaths.

Deontologism: This would be ethical because of the rules of the military/government.

[mcspoofi]

1/26/21 Lecture Notes

Plagiarism and Copyright

If you think about it, plagiarism and copyright are nearly the same thing to a certain extent.  According to the Oxford Language dictionary, plagiarism is “the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own.”  Plagiarism has been seen over and over again throughout history.  For example, famous artist Andy Warhol had been sued for various photographs used in his art works.  This was deemed as “plagiarism” because Warhol never received permission from the photographers to use their photos in his work. Plagiarism happens in many forms such as text, music, artwork, and even speeches!  In order to protect their work from plagiarism, many people turned to copyright.  Copyright allows a person to control how their work can/can’t be used by other people.  While plagiarism and copyright go hand in hand, copyright is more about the law while plagiarism is more of an ethical issue.  The reason that I say that plagiarism is more ethical is because you know that it’s morally wrong to steal someone else’s work and claiming it as your own.  Copyright is a type of law that helps prevent plagiarism of someone’s work.  Despite copyright laws, plagiarism still happens in our everyday lives sadly.  In today’s world, people plagiarize other people on a daily basis.  Because of social media, it’s difficult to trace who or what started a trend due to the different social media apps.  How are we supposed to know whose copying who if we have a hard time finding the original post/creator?

[mcspoofi]

HW6Case, Q3

 Q3. Write up your case on your blog with the following subheadings:

“The facts of the case.” Here is where you describe the case in your own words.

“Analysis.” Examine the case in terms of the questions.  utilitarian ethics perspective, the deontological ethics perspective, and the virtue ethics perspective.

“My conclusions.” Your conclusions and opinions about the case. Be sure to explain and justify what you write. 3 sentences of average length or more.

“Future environment.” Describe your vision of a future in which technology is more advanced than today, or society has changed in some significant way, such that the ethical issues of the case would be even more important than they are in today’s world. 3 sentences of average length or more.

“Future scenario.” Describe how this ethical case (or an analogous one) would or should play out in the environment of the future, and give your opinions about it. 3 sentences of average length or more.

Answer:

The facts of the case. Due to the aging population of the USA, engineers have been prompted to create a robot that can act as a caretaker for the elderly.  However, there is mixed reactions over the idea of having a robot care for an elderly human.  In order for the care robots to work, the robots will need to be in a humanoid style so that the person isn’t creeped out by it. This humanoid look will help create trust and interaction with the person.  However, it is feared that the human patients will get attached to the care robot, which would hurt the future interactions for that person.  Another problem is if robots can replace human caretakers, although robots can provide care 24/7, they don’t provide human contact which is a HUGE part of caretaking.  In order to combat this, robots should only help augment the capabilities of the human caregiver in order to provide that human contact aspect.  The public is also worried about privacy invasion, because these care robots are well...robots, they may not know. abstract concepts such as boundaries.

Analysis. The utilitarian ethical perspective suggests in this case that the carebot is good since the creation of the carebot was to provide care for the elderly.  The deontological approach seems to imply that the carebot is good which differs from the utilitarian approach in that the carebot is good because it helps the greater good but is similar in that both perspectives would find the carebot good. A virtue ethics perspective indicates that the carebot was made because of the feelings of the engineers behind the carebots which seems similar to the utilitarian ethical perspective in terms of that the feelings of the engineers led to the creation of the carebots but different in that the utilitarian ethical perspective focused more on the carebot and if it helped the greater good while the virtue ethics perspective focused more on the engineers themself. It also compares to the deontological approach in that the action to make the carebots was based on their feelings and that it was used to care for the old but differ since the deontological approach focused more on if the creation was good or bad rather than the emotions of the people who made the carebot.

Conclusions. I think that the carebot is a good idea.  Its advanced A.I. can help with important tasks such as scheduled medication times and documenting important medical documents for their patient.  Although it is a bit weird for a robot to take care of a human, I think that a carebot should work alongside a human caretaker.  A carebot can’t do emergency medical procedures such as CPR, but a human can.  This would make the carebot more of an assistant for the caretaker.  The carebot could help with the technical side while the human can provide human contact, emergency services (if needed), and other humanly services for the patient.

Future Environment. In the future, there could be an A.I. that could simulate human interaction.  It could also record the patient’s vitals, tells you the procedure of different emergency procedures, dial 911 in case of an emergency, and could also measure out your medication (as well as place refill orders for a specific medicine).   Instead of the robot working by itself, it works alongside a human coworker, who also provides human interaction and is there just in case of a medical emergency.

Future scenario. An old man is being cared for by a carebot and a human caretaker.  After taking his medicine and recording his vitals, he suddenly gets a seizure.  The human coworker immediately rushes over to the man and orders carebot to dial 911.  Carebot dials 911 and puts the human coworker onto the call.  While the human caretaker is on the phone, carebot simultaneously provides steps by steps on how to help the man during the seizure.  The ambulance then comes and picks up the man, thanking the human coworker and carebot for working together to saving this man’s life.

[mcspoofi]

HW6Case, Q2

Q2 (33 pts.) In a separate posting on your blog entitled “HW6case, Q2” comment on questions that either:

you posted on your blog for this HW, or

other(s) posted on their blog(s) for this HW. Include a link to their blog posting. Here is a list of students’ blogs.

Answer:

In the future, will there be a robot that can adapt itself to provide care for their patients on an almost-human like state? I believe that in the future, technology will be so advanced that a robot could adapt its system to learn about human interactions and etc.  If a robot could adapt to be almost human-like, the person may feel a bit better about the whole situation.

Are care robots the ultimate solution for caretaking?  I don’t think that they’re the ultimate solution for caretaking, there are some aspects that a robot cannot do that requires a human to do.  Although robots are prone to make less mistakes, it cannot do things such as provide a normal conversation.

Do you think that an A.I. could adapt to meet the needs of the patient?  For example, could an A.I. develop human understanding of boundaries and implement that to begin learning about that?  Like I said for question 1, yes.  Because technology is constantly evolving, I believe that it won’t be long until robots/A.I. are able to adapt and learn about abstract ideas such as boundaries.

What is a disadvantage of having a care robot over a human caretaker?  A disadvantage would probably be in the case of an emergency.  For example, if the patient suddenly had a seizure, a robot cannot provide such services.  Sure it can call 911, but it cannot do anything that would help increase the survival rates of the patient unlike a human that could multitask and do both actions at the same time.

Imagine if a robot caretaker had its system hacked, how could this interfere with the robot itself and its ability? Would there be any other aspects that would be affected by this as well?  The hacker could prevent the robot from providing care to its patient(s).  An aspect that’d be affected by this event would be privacy,   the hacker could force the robot to go through highly sensitive personal information of the patient (such as SSN or bank information) and could then steal it and do God knows what with it.

[mcspoofi]

HW6Case, Q1

Q1 (33 pts.) Prepare case notes on an ethics case related to robotics. An ethics case is an example, event, experience, legal case, medical case, and so on from real life, a movie, your imagination, and so on, which has some ethics related aspects to consider. Your notes should include:

Answer:

The source of my case is https://roboethics.ch/group-4-care-o-bot-workshop-case-study/

Eight important facts are:

This robot was made in response to the growing aging population.

These robots also “have the potential to help patients suffering from various disabilities, or people with reduced mobility due to an accident or stroke.”

This robot has caused mixed emotions to this idea of a robot interacting with a human

Care Robots will be in a humanoid style to create trust and interaction with the person the robot is taking care of.

Engineers are worried that because the Care Robots are in a humanoid style, their human counterpart may become too attached to it, which would lead to damaging future human affairs.

Another problem is if robots can replace human caretakers, although robots can provide care 24/7, they don’t provide human contact which is a HUGE part of caretaking

As a solution to fact #6, robots should only help augment the capabilities of the human caregiver in order to provide that human contact aspect

Another huge issue is privacy.  With the robot constantly in their patient’s space, it may make the patient uncomfortable since it may not know what boundaries are.

Five questions to ask about the case are:

In the future, will there be a robot that can adapt itself to provide care for their patients on an almost-human like state?

Are care robots the ultimate solution for caretaking?

Do you think that an A.I. could adapt to meet the needs of the patient?  For example, could an A.I. develop human understanding of boundaries and implement that to begin learning about that?

What is a disadvantage of having a care robot over a human caretaker?

Imagine if a robot caretaker had its system hacked, how could this interfere with the robot itself and its ability? Would there be any other aspects that would be affected by this as well?

[mcspoofi]

HW6Proj

Directions: For your term project (see “Course Information” tab for details): if it is a paper: write 349 words (or more) of it and place in your blog. The blog entry should not contain any material already in a previous blog entry. If your project is not a paper: do the equivalent amount of work. Then describe briefly (but with specific details) what you did on your blog (for example, if you are developing a web site, you could provide a link to it. Or if you are filming a skit, you could explain who will play each part, or provide the script outline, etc., depending on how far along you are.) If you’re not sure what to do, see me or send me an email, and I will try to suggest something. Title your blog post “HW 6proj.”

Answer:

I began on my final project.  I have done my sketches and I am satisfied with my final sketch. By this week, I should be done with my final project.  I am planning to do some sort of expressionism inspired art.  It’ll have some of the stuff that I described in HW5Proj.

[mcspoofi]

HW5Case, Q3

Q3. Write up your case on your blog with the following subheadings:

“The facts of the case.” Here is where you describe the case in your own words.

“Analysis.” Examine the case in terms of the questions.  utilitarian ethics perspective, the deontological ethics perspective, and the virtue ethics perspective.

“My conclusions.” Your conclusions and opinions about the case. Be sure to explain and justify what you write. 3 sentences of average length or more.

“Future environment.” Describe your vision of a future in which technology is more advanced than today, or society has changed in some significant way, such that the ethical issues of the case would be even more important than they are in today’s world. 3 sentences of average length or more.

“Future scenario.” Describe how this ethical case (or an analogous one) would or should play out in the environment of the future, and give your opinions about it. 3 sentences of average length or more.

Answer:

The facts of the case. Before the 9/11 attacks, Congress was more focused on international terrorism attacks.  After the Oklahoma City bombing, Congress began to focus more on domestic terrorism.  Before the Patriot Act, President Bill Clinton passed the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996” to make it easier to deal with domestic terrorism.  It was passed on  April 24, 1996. The Patriot Act was passed in 2001 and written by then President George W. Bush after the 9/11 attacks.  The official name for the act is “Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism,” or USA-PATRIOT. The purpose of the Patriot Act was to “improve the abilities of U.S. law enforcement” to lower the terrorism rates. The act is a document that contains more than 300 pages.  Some civil rights groups claims that the Patriot Act violates some of the Constitutional rights of US Citizens.  The latest revision of the Patriot Act was in 2015 to ensure that it protected the constitutional rights of US citizens.

Analysis. The utilitarian ethical perspective suggests in this case that the Patriot Act was good since the creation of the Act was to protect the American public. It’s supposed to protect the American citizens which is seen as the greater good.  The deontological approach seems to imply that the Patriot Act is good which differs from the utilitarian approach in that the Act is good because it helps the greater good but is similar in that both perspectives would find the Patriot Act good. A virtue ethics perspective indicates that the Patriot Act was made because of the feelings of Congress and the President which seems similar to the utilitarian ethical perspective in terms of that the feelings of Congress and George W. Bush led to the creation of the Act but different in that the utilitarian ethical perspective focused more on the Act and if it helped the greater good while the virtue ethics perspective focused more on the person themself. It also compares to the deontological approach in that the action to make the Patriot Act was based on their feelings and that it was used to protect America but differ since the deontological approach focused more on if the creation was good or bad rather than the emotions of the people who made the Act. 

Conclusions. I think that the Patriot Act was a good safety measure for America.  However, I think that it may have went over the line of privacy in some aspects of this Patriot Act.  Although it helps protect America from domestic terrorism, I think that it doesn’t really prevent it per se.  I think that it was just used to calm the American public and for Congress and the President to be like “I hear your fears and cries, I’ll make an Act that helps protect you Americans from any sort of domestic terror.”  This Act could help the American public support the president and his future actions since it showed that he cared for them.

Future Environment. In the future, there could be an A.I. that could automatically identify any potential domestic threat.  Whenever the A.I. identifies the threat, it notifies the police department, FBI, and other departments of national security.  After the warning is dispatched, it alerts all news stations about this attack and the news station will then alert the public to try and reduce the number of causalities.

Future scenario. If a group of terrorists decided to blow up the Washington D.C. and they tried to message each other on Facebook Messenger, the A.I. within that phone could identify the threat and then notify the FBI and other departments.  After that the news station will be alerted and then a national alert will be broadcast.  The national forces will then take care of the bad guys