Next-Generation Ethics

Many of the significant developments of our era have resulted from advances in technology, including the design of large-scale systems; advances in medicine, manufacturing, and artificial intelligence; the role of social media in influencing behaviour and toppling governments; and the surge of online transactions that are replacing human face-to-face interactions. These advances have given rise to new kinds of ethical concerns around the uses (and misuses) of technology. This collection of essays by prominent academics and technology leaders covers important ethical questions arising in modern industry, offering guidance on how to approach these dilemmas. Chapters discuss what we can learn from the ethical lapses of #MeToo, Volkswagen, and Cambridge Analytica, and highlight the common need across all applications for sound decision-making and understanding the implications for stakeholders. Technologists and general readers with no formal ethics training and specialists exploring technological applications to the field of ethics will benefit from this overview.

Author Biography

Ali E. Abbas is Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering and Public Policy at the University of Southern California, where he also directs the USC Neely Center for Ethical Leadership and Decision Making. His research focuses on decision analysis, multiattribute utility theory, and ethical decision-making, and he is the recipient of multiple awards from the National Science Foundation for his work. Dr Abbas has authored numerous books, including Foundations of Multiattribute Utility (Cambridge, 2018) and Foundations of Decision Analysis (2015) with co-author Ronald A. Howard. He is also co-editor of numerous edited volumes, including Improving Homeland Security Decisions (Cambridge, 2017).