Essay three will cover artificial morality. Read the essay “Artificial Morality” and the “Robot Rules” that are under Files in Canvas (or the links below) and the essays in your textbook on pages 636-645. All these essays are designed to make you think about what computers mean for the human race and how we’ll handle the challenges they will create for us in the future.
The essay on artificial morality discusses the possibility of artificial morality and its many implications for human society, such as how human morality and artificial morality compare. Many questions remain about how moral capacities will be implemented in artificial systems and the many challenges that will bring. Since artificial intelligence doesn’t share the motivations of human beings, it will be up to the designers to specify its motivations.
How can artificial morality be designed so that it’s beneficial? What moral values are important to human society and how will we evaluate the threats that artificial morality might present? Do the people who create these technologies have a responsibility for how they are used? Some people believe that robots are moral by design because humans’ morality is inconsistent; however, there is no consensus on correct moral theory either among the general public or philosophers. Many believe that computers will never have the full moral understanding that human beings do, yet they will be put in the position of making moral decisions.
Write an essay of at least 750 words in which you address how artificial morality can be designed for the benefit of human beings and the threats it might present, especially given that human beings do not agree on what correct moral theory is. Consider one of the many issues surrounding artificial morality. There are many to choose from, such as an individual’s right to privacy, possible authoritarian abuse of robot soldiers, the use of robots as police officers or judges, or any other unanticipated consequences that may arise.
Quote at least three of the essays and draft a works cited page listing them. Make sure all your quotes have attributive tags. Refer to pages 482-488 in Common Places to see how to create the entries for an MLA works cited page.
For more information on MLS formatting and citations, see the Purdue OWL: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_formatting_and_style_guide.html (Links to an external site.)