An accessible synthesis of ethical issues raised by artificial intelligence that moves beyond
hype and nightmare scenarios to address concrete questions. Artificial intelligence powers
Google's search engine enables Facebook to target advertising and allows Alexa and Siri to do
their jobs. AI is also behind self-driving cars predictive policing and autonomous weapons
that can kill without human intervention. These and other AI applications raise complex ethical
issues that are the subject of ongoing debate. This volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge
series offers an accessible synthesis of these issues. Written by a philosopher of technology
AI Ethics goes beyond the usual hype and nightmare scenarios to address concrete questions.
Mark Coeckelbergh describes influential AI narratives ranging from Frankenstein's monster to
transhumanism and the technological singularity. He surveys relevant philosophical discussions:
questions about the fundamental differences between humans and machines and debates over the
moral status of AI. He explains the technology of AI describing different approaches and
focusing on machine learning and data science. He offers an overview of important ethical
issues including privacy concerns responsibility and the delegation of decision making
transparency and bias as it arises at all stages of data science processes. He also considers
the future of work in an AI economy. Finally he analyzes a range of policy proposals and
discusses challenges for policymakers. He argues for ethical practices that embed values in
design translate democratic values into practices and include a vision of the good life and
the good society.
