I saw a recent Deloitte Insights paper that merits highlighting on this page. “Beyond good intentions, Navigating the ethical dilemmas facing the technology industry“ promotes the idea that a more holistic approach can help companies deal with major ethical dilemmas, enabling them to “differentiate, preserve their reputations, and better prepare for and protect the future.”
The article identifies five issues as examples of the dilemmas the tech industry needs to navigate:
- Data usage: How companies collect, use, and protect data
- Environmental sustainability: Energy use, supply chains efficiency, manufacturing waste, and water use in semiconductor fabrication
- Trustworthy AI: How Artificial Intelligence systems benefit society and avoid bias, fairness, and transparency
- Threats to truth: The use of disinformation, misinformation, deepfakes, and the weaponizing of data to attack, manipulate, and influence for personal gain, or to sow chaos
- Physical and mental health: How the technology industry can impact the physical and mental well-being of customers who use its products and services
Deloitte offers five key moves to help to apply a holistic approach across the ethical dilemmas.
- Integrate across the business life cycle
- Invest in specialized ethics talent
- Build and train from the top, the bottom, and across
- Be as predictive and extensive as possible
- Collaborate with partners and competitors to improve the entire industry
Read the article. Listen (and subscribe) to Deloitte’s Solving for Tech Ethics podcast series.
I’d be interested in your comments.