Welcome to another episode of "Redefining Society Podcast," where we muse on society and technology at their intersecting point, exploring how one influences and changes the other. Today, we are diving into a topic that is not just crucial but also ethically challenging—how those who work in the tech industry can and should approach ethics in their daily practice.

Our guide in this intellectual journey is Marc Steen, a senior research scientist at TNO in The Netherlands. Marc is an expert in Human-Centred Design and Value-Sensitive Design, with a strong focus on the responsible innovation and applied ethics of technology. He asks the questions that many of us perhaps hesitate to ask—especially when it comes to the ethics behind algorithms and AI systems. With an extensive background in both scholarly and popular writing, Marc aims to push the boundaries of ethical discourse in technology.

Now, why is this important? As we engage more and more with technology, its repercussions echo louder and louder through the hallways of our societal norms, affecting our collective values, freedoms, and even democracy itself. So, when we talk about tech, we're not just talking about a tool or a service; we're discussing a societal force that shapes our daily lives.

Marc's recent book, "Ethics for People Who Work in Tech," serves as a roadmap for professionals in the tech industry. Whether you are a computer scientist, a software developer, or even someone involved in policy-making, this book aims to empower you to think ethically. It provides a practical, three-step iterative approach for integrating ethics into projects and uses four distinct ethical perspectives to evaluate outcomes. The ultimate goal? To design and use technologies that contribute to a just society—a society where people can truly live well together.

Today, we are going to explore these ideas deeply. We'll question the uneasy aspects of technology that most shy away from. We'll explore how we can achieve a state where innovation isn't just about creating the new and the powerful, but also about ensuring fairness, freedom, and communal well-being.

So sit back, and let's embark on this philosophical inquiry into the ethics of tech. Because, if technology is shaping our society, it's our moral imperative to ensure that it shapes it for the better. Stay with us.

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About the Book

This book is for people who work in the tech industry—computer and data scientists, software developers and engineers, designers, and people in business, marketing or management roles. It is also for people who are involved in the procurement and deployment of advanced applications, algorithms, and AI systems, and in policy making. Together, they create the digital products, services, and systems that shape our societies and daily lives. The book’s aim is to empower people to take responsibility, to ‘upgrade’ their skills for ethical reflection, inquiry, and deliberation. It introduces ethics in an accessible manner with practical examples, outlines of different ethical traditions, and practice-oriented methods

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Resources

Ethics for People Who Work in Tech (Book): https://www.routledge.com/Ethics-for-People-Who-Work-in-Tech/Steen/p/book/9780367542436

Ethics for People Who Work in Tech (Website that accompanies book): https://ethicsforpeoplewhoworkintech.com/

Ethics as a Participatory and Iterative Process: https://cacm.acm.org/magazines/2023/5/272289-ethics-as-a-participatory-and-iterative-process/fulltext

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