CSIT314 Software Development Methodologies
Ethics and professional practice in developing emerging software systems
Ethical dilemma scenarios
Copyright By PowCoder代写 加微信 powcoder
You are asked to create or accept a schedule that is obviously impossible to meet. Because of perceived pressure, or for other reasons, you create or accept the schedule knowing it is unrealistic.
What are the relevant ethical issues?
What are the potential consequences of this?
Adapted from B. Berenbach and M. Broy, “Professional and Ethical Dilemmas in Software Engineering” in Computer, vol. 42, no. 01
pp. 74-80, 2009.
Ethical dilemma scenarios (cont.)
Your team must deliver a product that still lacks key functionality or has known software defects. The market’s anticipation can create pressure to release the product prematurely, before a competitor does or before contractual obligations—possibly associated with a penalty clause—come due.
What are the relevant ethical issues?
What are the potential consequences of this?
Adapted from B. Berenbach and M. Broy, “Professional and Ethical Dilemmas in Software Engineering” in Computer, vol. 42, no. 01
pp. 74-80, 2009.
Ethical dilemma scenarios (cont.)
A developer working on a software product delivers working code, but the quality of the product is shoddy, with minimal or no rationale and little or no documentation. The programmer might feel under pressure to deliver, becoming more concerned about meeting milestones than ensuring quality.
What are the relevant ethical issues?
What are the potential consequences of this?
Adapted from B. Berenbach and M. Broy, “Professional and Ethical Dilemmas in Software Engineering” in Computer, vol. 42, no. 01
pp. 74-80, 2009.
Ethical dilemma scenarios (cont.)
Occasionally, a project team or staff will concern itself with day-to-day activities, accepting the development culture’s status quo and showing no inclination to improve productivity or quality. For example, error codes might be hard-coded in the software rather than placed in a table. When developers ignore best practices, they can leave the door open for civil, and in some rare cases criminal, liability.
What are the relevant ethical issues?
What are the potential consequences of this?
Adapted from B. Berenbach and M. Broy, “Professional and Ethical Dilemmas in Software Engineering” in Computer, vol. 42, no. 01
pp. 74-80, 2009.
Ethical dilemma scenarios (cont.)
During meetings with clients or management, when a project manager make statements about a product or project that are known to be untrue, such as stating that a project’s delivery is on schedule when the team already knows they cannot deliver it on time.
What are the relevant ethical issues?
What are the potential consequences of this?
Adapted from B. Berenbach and M. Broy, “Professional and Ethical Dilemmas in Software Engineering” in Computer, vol. 42, no. 01
pp. 74-80, 2009.
Ethical dilemma scenarios (cont.)
A software tester uncovers a flaw in a communication app and calls it to the attention of his supervisors. They determine that while the flaw is real, the odds of its impacting the delivered product are relatively small and, besides, once the customer starts using it, the responsible parties will have moved to another project.
What are the relevant ethical issues?
What are the potential consequences of this?
Adapted from B. Berenbach and M. Broy, “Professional and Ethical Dilemmas in Software Engineering” in Computer, vol. 42, no. 01
pp. 74-80, 2009.
Ethical dilemma scenarios (cont.)
An IT company wrote a radar system for ships which identifies incoming aircraft as friend or foe. A software engineer developed a user interface which will display needed information. This information can be used to determine if defensive action is necessary. The radar system and the interface contain all of the functionality described in the requirements. Although all of the information required was displayed, it was not displayed in a way that was adequate for them to distinguish a military attack plane from a commercial airliner.
What are the relevant ethical issues? What are the potential consequences of this?
Adapted from “Ethical Considerations in Software Engineering” by Dona8ld Gotterbarn
Ethical dilemma scenarios (cont.)
A IT company wrote a very complex system for a national bank. The system manages local checking accounts, saving accounts and loans. It also manages the bank’s branches. Its effectiveness is partially responsible for the bank’s success despite the failure of many similar banks. The bank becomes aware of some things it can do that will better protect is from the threat of lower profits. They request that the computer company make immediate modifications to this system and deliver it within a week. The software engineering department decides to do the work.
What are the relevant ethical issues? What are the potential consequences of this?
Adapted from “Ethical Considerations in Software Engineering” by 9
Ethical dilemma scenarios (cont.)
A IT company is working on a integrated control system for a national shoe manufacturer. The system will gather sales information daily from shoe stores nationwide. This information will be used by the accounting, shipping, and ordering departments to control all of the functions of this large corporation. A quality assurance software engineer suspects that the auditing functions of the system are not sufficiently tested, although they have passed all its contracted test suites. She is being pressured by her employers to sign off on the software. Her employers say they will go out of business if they do not deliver the software on time. She signs off.
What are the relevant ethical issues? What are the potential consequences of this?
Adapted from “Ethical Considerations in Software Engineering” by
Ethics in developing emerging software systems
Data-driven software systems Big data systems
AI-enabled apps
Emerging ethical dilemma
See this video
and determine what the relevant ethical issues here.
Emerging ethical dilemma (cont.)
See this video https://youtu.be/vLzBInN-kdk and determine what the relevant ethical issues here.
Ethics in developing AI data-driven systems
Fairness and inclusiveness: AI systems should treat all people fairly. AI systems should empower everyone and engage people
Take a look at this video https://youtu.be/59bMh59JQDo
Question: What are three types of bias inherent in AI systems
mentioned in this video?
Data-driven systems learn from existing structures of the societies => reproduce the patterns of bias and discrimination
Features, metrics and models are still handcrafted by human designers => replicate the designers’ preconceptions and biases
Data may be flaw (e.g. insufficiently representing the populations) => creates biased and discriminatory outcomes
14 Adapted from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/ai/responsible-ai
Ethics in developing AI data-driven systems
Fairness: AI systems should treat all people fairly Loan applications, job applications
Racial, age, gender, disability and other discrimination See this Amazon case https://youtu.be/QvRZuHQBTps
Another example https://www.facebook.com/propublica/videos/machine- bias/10154271828629445/
15 Adapted from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/ai/responsible-ai
Ethics in developing AI data-driven systems
Reliability & Safety: AI systems should perform reliably and safely
Due to their autonomous nature, unreliable AI systems (especially safety-critical systems) may cause catastrophic consequences.
E.g. Self-driving car accidents
16 Adapted from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/ai/responsible-ai
Ethics in developing AI data-driven systems
Transparency: AI systems should be understandable
Lack of explainability in AI systems, especially the most
advanced deep learning AI systems.
Need to understand how an AI system made a particular decision in order to (e.g.):
• determine why the output is bias
• check for safety
• assess accountability if accidents happen
Those inquiries can be really difficult and complex
17 Adapted from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/ai/responsible-ai
Ethics in developing AI data-driven systems
Transparency: AI systems should be understandable
Can you quickly navigate this simple decision tree? The inputs are: ICML (International Conference on Machine Learning); 2017; Australia; kangaroo; and sunny. Assuming you have done it correctly, imagine trying to explain in words how your decision to clap hands was reached. What if there were a million variables?
Courtesy of Finale Doshi-Velez
18 Adapted from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/ai/responsible-ai
Ethics in developing AI data-driven systems
Privacy & Security: AI systems should be secure and respect privacy
Many AI-enabled apps use personal data, which sometimes is collected without the proper consent.
AI-enabled systems may target and profile people without their consent or knowledge => privacy evasion.
See Cambridge Analytica scandal https://youtu.be/Q91nvbJSmS4
19 Adapted from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/ai/responsible-ai
Ethics in developing AI data-driven systems
Accountability: AI systems should have algorithmic accountability
Which the parties responsible for outcomes produced by AI systems?
20 Adapted from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/ai/responsible-ai
The trolley dilemma and programming ethics into software systems
Watch this video https://youtu.be/yg16u_bzjPE and answer the following questions:
What is the trolley dilemma problem?
What is utilitarianism?
What does it mean by “programming ethics into machines”?
Watch this video https://youtu.be/ixIoDYVfKA0 for some ethical dilemma of self-driving cars.
Take-home question: Are there any other software systems facing similar ethical dilemma?
程序代写 CS代考 加微信: powcoder QQ: 1823890830 Email: powcoder@163.com