Managerial Ethics

This document discusses the morality of using Artificial Intelligence and robotics technology in healthcare. It explores the virtues of due care and responsibility & accountability, applies Kant's categorical imperative, and provides an ethical conclusion. The act of implementing robotics technology and artificial intelligence in the healthcare and medical field is considered ethical because it is universally accepted and aims to save lives.

1
Managerial Ethics

2
Ethical question
Although Artificial Intelligence and robotics technology can be threatening to the lives of
humans, should it be used in Healthcare?
a. Identify the act central to your ethical question
The central act is implementation of robotics in healthcare despite the drawbacks and threat to
human life due to lack of precision in commands.
b. Identify 2 virtues relevant to the morality of the act central to your specific ethical
question. Define each virtue in no more than one sentence.
Due care and Responsibility & Accountability
According to the code of ethics of Due care; an individual is responsible for maintaining
professional skills and knowledge at the level needed for ensuring that other people receive
service which is professional and competent (Council, 2013). The individual is also responsible
for acting diligently according to applicable professional and technical standards while providing
professional services or performing professional activities (Sanmukhani, and Tripathi, 2011).
Here, the healthcare specialists and experts would be required to act diligently and give specific
commands and control to the robots with artificial intelligence, so that the professional activities
are performed in accordance with the necessary standards of professionalism and technicality.
The specialists would require the exercise of sound judgment during the application of
professional skill and knowledge while performing the surgical activities as well as giving
commands to the robots.
According to the code of ethics of Responsibility; groups and individuals have various morally
based duties and obligations towards other people and towards larger moral and ethical
standards, traditions and codes (Uşurelu and Loghin, 2010). According to the code of ethics of
Accountability, an individual should possess the preparedness and readiness for giving a
justification or explanation for their actions, intentions and judgements (Jin, and Drozdenko,
2010). In this case, the specialists would be responsible as well as accountable of the actions
which are performed by the robots while conducting operations or other medical activities since
they would be giving necessary instructions and commands to the robots (Lin, Abney, and

3
Bekey, 2014). if anything wrong takes place, they would be held responsible and would need to
be prepared for providing necessary justifications for their choices and actions.
c. Discuss the morality of the act central to your ethical question by comparison with
your 2 chosen virtues.
The act of causing threat to the lives of patients is contrary to the virtue of due care since an
individual is responsible for maintaining professional skills and knowledge at the level needed
for ensuring that other people receive service which is professional and competent (Avasthi, et.
al., 2013). Such threat due to mistakes in providing commands would create a future distrust
climate and people might be hesitant towards opting for surgeries using robots.
d. Apply Kant’s categorical imperative by completing the following tasks. You need to
support any yes/no answers with reasons.
i. Define a specific rule which authorises the act central to your ethical question.
Robotics can be used in medical science for dodging the knowledge and skills required
in laparoscopy.
ii. Define the general rule which authorises the act central to your ethical question.
Robotics can be used in medical science and healthcare for bringing about more
precision and accuracy and for maintaining patient healthcare quality and also for saving
costs of labour.
iii. Is the general rule inherently self-contradictory? Why or why not?
No, the general rule is not self-contradictory. Given the act is actually intended for
saving costs of labour, and bringing more accuracy in applied medical practices.
iv. Does the general rule violate Kant’s practical imperative or any of Kant’s other
absolute moral rules?
The general rule does not violate the practical imperative or any other moral rules of Kant
as usage of robotics is only meant for the well-being of people and not their harm out of
intention.

4
v. Is the general rule contrary to its fundamental purpose?
The fundamental purpose is bringing more accuracy, precision, reliability and trust is
application of medical sciences and ensuring the well-being of the whole society. Hence,
generalisation of the act would help in achieving well-being of all individuals. Hence,
acting according to the general rule is not contrary to its purpose.
vi. Is the act ethical according to Kant’s ethical system?
Yes, the act is ethical according to the system of ethics of Kant.
e. Provide an ethical conclusion by comparing your conclusions from the act
utilitarian analysis in Assignment 1, your virtue ethics and Kantian analyses in this
assignment, and drawing on your own ethical conscience.
It can be concluded that, the act of implementing robotics technology and artificial
intelligence in the healthcare and medical field would be ethical because it would be accepted
universally. This is because no patient would be harmed or murdered out of intentions of the
surgeons. The surgeons do not lie or make fake promises about saving the life of a patient;
however they try their best in doing so. The freedom of every individual is respect. The act of
saving the lives of patients is in itself an act of helping others. Patients are treated justly and
according to merits. No unnecessary suffering is caused by the surgeons intentionally and they
adhere by and follow all just laws. Finally, only good for good done and there is no intention of
harming since doctors are meant to save lives. Hence, the act of bringing robotics technology
should be made universal as the benefits clearly outweigh the drawbacks. Furthermore, the
drawbacks can be easily tackled or countered by maintaining precision and carefulness while
delegating instructions and commands to the robots.

5
Reference list
Council, S.A.N., 2013. Code of ethics for nursing practitioners in South Africa. Pretoria: South
African Nursing Council, pp.3-5.
Sanmukhani, J. and Tripathi, C.B., 2011. Ethics in clinical research: The Indian
perspective. Indian journal of pharmaceutical sciences, 73(2), p.125.
Avasthi, A., Ghosh, A., Sarkar, S. and Grover, S., 2013. Ethics in medical research: General
principles with special reference to psychiatry research. Indian journal of psychiatry, 55(1), p.86.
Jin, K.G. and Drozdenko, R.G., 2010. Relationships among perceived organizational core values,
corporate social responsibility, ethics, and organizational performance outcomes: An empirical
study of information technology professionals. Journal of Business Ethics, 92(3), pp.341-359.
Lin, P., Abney, K. and Bekey, G.A., 2014. Robot ethics: the ethical and social implications of
robotics. London: The MIT Press.
Uşurelu, V.I. and Loghin, D., 2010. ACCOUNTING ETHICS-RESPONSIBILITY VERSUS
CREATIVITY. Annals of the University of Petrosani Economics, 10(3).