Analyzing Ethical Implications of Chatbots in a Connected World

This report examines the ethical implications of the growing trend of chatbot interconnectivity, focusing on security and safety concerns. It begins with an executive summary outlining the core issues and then delves into the ethical dilemmas surrounding chatbot technology. The report explores various security problems, including self-destruction messages, authorization, encryption, data storage, personal scanning, authentication, and encryption. These issues are analyzed through the lens of four ethical theories: utilitarianism, deontology, social contract theory, and character-based theory. Additionally, the report applies the ACS code of ethics to assess the ethical dimensions of chatbot usage, considering the primacy of public interest, enhancement of quality of life, honesty, competence, and responsibility. The report concludes with an ethical assessment of chatbot implementation, considering the implications for businesses and users.

Running head: IMPLICATIONS OF GROWING TREND OF INTERCONNECTIVITY
What are the Implications of a Growing Trend of Interconnectivity for Security and
Safety?
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s Note:

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Executive Summary
The major objective of the report is to know about growing trend of chatbot in any
organization or business. The safety and security issues of this AI software can be vulnerable
and should be removed effectively. Some of the major and vital chatbots use sophisticated
processing system of natural language, although the simplest chatbots can easily scan for the
key words within inputs, even before providing a subsequent reply or response with the
highest similar key word and word pattern from the company’s or user’s database. It is quite
a major issue for the specific company and can even decrease business profit to higher level.
Each and every interaction of these chatbots with the human beings can turn into a major
challenge and thus company could face some of the major losses. The report has described
about few issues and analysis is done on the basis of four ethical theories and ACS code of
ethics.

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Table of Contents
1. Introduction............................................................................................................................3
2. Ethical Dilemma of Chatbot Safety and Security..................................................................3
3. Ethical Analysis on the basis of Ethical Approaches.............................................................5
3.1 Utilitarianism Theory.......................................................................................................5
3.2. Deontology Theory.........................................................................................................6
3.3 Social Contract Theory....................................................................................................7
3.4 Character Based Theory...................................................................................................7
3.5 ACS Code of Ethics.........................................................................................................7
4. Conclusion..............................................................................................................................9
References................................................................................................................................10
Appendices...............................................................................................................................12
Appendix A..........................................................................................................................12
Appendix B..........................................................................................................................12

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1. Introduction
An important and significant AI or artificial intelligence or a computer based program
that helps to conduct conversation by help of auditory or textual methods is termed as a
chatbot (See Appendix A). These chatbots even depend on the various criteria that are
required to be maintained within the organization and for ensuring that safety and security of
the organizational data is high and every implication of interconnectivity growing trend is
required to be analysed (Von Solms & Van Niekerk, 2013). This report will be outlining a
detailed description on chatbot as well as major implication of this growing trend of
interconnectivity on the basis of security and safety. Four distinctive ethical theories and ACS
code of ethics will be used to describe this case study effectively.
2. Ethical Dilemma of Chatbot Safety and Security
Chatbot, being extremely useful and important for a specific business for eradication
of issues and complexities related to customer care agents and client call that even indulges
few noteworthy issues on the basis of safety and security (Wang & Lu, 2013). A secured
shield for all types of cyber attacks is highly needed so that all issues and vulnerabilities for
chatbot is removed on a priority basis. A vital reason for the arrival of this kind of safety and
security issue would be the subsequent interconnectivity is extremely higher and thus
consideration on timely manner is required (Buczak & Guven, 2016). The most significant
security problems for chatbot that are caused for growing trend of interconnectivity are
provided below:
a) Self Destruction Messages: The self destruction message can be referred to as a
major solution for the issues related to financial firm’s chatbots. When any kind of
confidential information is required to be sent to the client, an effective chatbot can delete the
respective data forever from organizational systems within a time period (Hahn et al., 2013).

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b) Authorization: The second significant and noteworthy issue during utilization of
chatbot is the lacking of authorization. This type of data often gets hacked by certain
attackers and respective data integrity as well as confidentiality are being lost forever.
c) Encryption: This is the third noteworthy and vital problem, which concerns about
customers employing encryption in chatbot in subsequent data channel (Wells et al., 2014).
According to a significant requirement, these chatbots provide major access to each
encrypted channel and hence subsequent communication is possible without much
complexity. Encryption technique is thus needed for being considered and hence removing
each and every problem associated to chatbot (See Appendix B).
d) Storage of Data: A proper storage of data is required for eradication of issues for
each and every business or user and hence maintenance of security and safety is possible for
every implication of chat growing trend (Abawajy, 2014).
e) Personal Scanning: To complete the information evaluation, any specific chatbot
could easily bring out some of the core issues associated to safety and security. Any type of
business transaction could be easily cancelled when the chatbot is not secured and safe.
f) Authentication: Another important issue, which is needed to be analysed on a
priority basis would be authentication (Cavelty, 2014). This authentication is a major process,
where the user needs to verify the individual identity and chatbot is used in banks. A specific
authentication token has the major responsibility of data verification after being requested by
chatbot. This could be quite vulnerable for the user as confidential data might be lost forever
if any hacker intercepted the chatbot. Moreover, as soon as there is a time out in
authentication, a completely new process is initiated and a new token would be used (Hahn et
al., 2013). Hence it should be properly used for a subsequent time before the application is
needed to be made.

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g) Encryption: Another important and significant security and safety issue that is
extremely common for the users of chatbot is encryption. Every company has a major scope
to employ encryption technique in their business after implementation of chatbot (Ben-Asher
& Gonzalez, 2015). However, very few companies do so for ensuring safety. Due to this lack
of encryption, the sensitive data could be accessed by attackers and hence confidentiality is
lost.
The above mentioned security as well as safety issues and problems can be explained
in a better manner after consideration of few ethical approaches and ethical analyses. A
proper description of this ethical analysis for subsequent uses of chatbots is required to be
undertaken on a priority basis.
3. Ethical Analysis on the basis of Ethical Approaches
3.1 Utilitarianism Theory
This is the first as well as the foremost theory or perspective that states that any
situation or entity can be termed as ethical, when it is providing any type of utility to the
society or situation. This particular theory mainly determines whether the situation or entity is
right or wrong after focusing on the outcomes. Utilitarianism is an important form for
consequentialism that has a capability of producing better effectiveness in the situation. This
is a moral framework that is being used to justify all security issues after dealing with several
alternatives that can provide highest utility to user (Mill, 2016). Major kinds of utilitarianism
theory can be discussed as important and these could be defined as action consequences in
respect to correct or incorrect. The most significant proponents of this utilitarianism theory
include few subsequent requirements and these are required to consider effectively.
Furthermore, this theory also can deal with major complexities of a situation and thus it
should be judged based on the utility and utility amount of utility that is being produced.

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There is a high rising trend of chatbot that provides some of the major and most
important benefits to every business or organization. These chatbots are eventually helping
out to eradicate customer care agent need in all sectors such as sales, marketing and finance
and thus they obtain profit from this aspect. However, on the other hand, since chatbots have
acquired the entire market of customer care agents, numerous staff are losing the jobs and
thus this particular phenomenon is majorly affecting job status and economy of a specific
country (Mulgan, 2014). Furthermore, for continuously using chatbot, there are few security
and safety problems that can rise and a company may encounter these issues associated to
security. Moreover, clients can even get irritated and disturbed while continuously conversing
with a chatbot. Therefore, as a chatbot is not subsequently providing major utilities to an
organization or society, the entire usage of chatbot can be referred to as unethical.
3.2. Deontology Theory
This is the second ethical theory that can define this particular scenario of chatbot
security. Morality of an action is majorly checked on the basis of the fact that whether the
action can be right or wrong after laws and regulations or rules and not only on action
consequences (Dougherty, 2013). Deontology is also termed as obligation and duty that is
needed to be followed for becoming ethical. It is a framework of ethics that mainly depends
on all the pre-defined policies and rules, which help in functioning the business operations
efficiently. Deontology ethical framework also includes some rules, which are needed to be
analysed during judgment of a situation.
Every consequence of a decision and action is also avoided and hence is being
considered on a priority basis. Moral obligations even take place from internal as well as
external sources such as values of person and culture. It depends on an important system of
deontology and ensures that moral obligation is creating some of the most significant
conflicts for both employees and businesses (Jackson & Smith, 2016). Security and safety

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issues by using chatbot are extremely vulnerable and ineffective for the business and thus it is
referred to as unethical.
3.3 Social Contract Theory
The theory of social contract eventually states that every individual or organizational
member, working in an organization has to follow a moral agreement after establishment of
moral and political rules of behaviour. These organizational members also ensure that the
respective social contract must be efficiently followed to reduce each and every complexity
after morally judging that particular situation either with the help of situational analyses and
also by choice (Koszegi, 2014). Such social contracts can be referred to as explicit such as
laws and implicit such as answering queries amongst a group of people or team. After
analysis of this theory of social contract, any issue related to safety and security is not
considered and thus it is unethical and this is not subsequently following social contract.
3.4 Character Based Theory
According to virtue ethics or character based theory, an organizational member should
be judged on the basis of his or her actions. In this scenario for chatbot, although chatbot is an
effective entity that can provide advantages to business after resolving problems for customer
service agent, the confidential data of the customers might be lost and virtue ethics is
followed in this case (Hursthouse & Crisp, 2013). Hence, it can be stated that use of chatbot
is ethical in respect to safety and security issues.
3.5 ACS Code of Ethics
According to ACS code of ethics, security and safety issues after using chatbot can be
analysed by considering six codes, which are given below:
a) The Primacy of the Public Interest: As per this specific code of ACS, the
customers’ interests should be kept on top priority and the organization should not consider

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the business, sectional and personal interests over all (Peters, 2015). In this scenario of
chatbot safety problem, organizations should consider security and safety of customers’ data,
however this is absent here and hence the organization can be termed as unethical in nature.
b) The Enhancement of Quality of Life: As per this specific code of ACS, an
organization should eventually enhance customer’s life quality to check that people are
getting affected by work. Chatbot although, is professional and is providing benefits to
businesses by eradicating customer service agent from the business, several safety and
security problems of the technology would not be considered and thus customers’ services
are not enhanced.
c) Honesty: As per this specific code of ACS, the organization or organizational
professional should require to maintain professionalism and honesty should be enhanced.
Chatbots are honest since it plays recorded versions, although attackers can utilize such
opportunities to provide erroneous data to use and gain confidential data (ACS Code of
Ethics. 2019). Chatbot is hence referred to as unethical to the company.
d) Competence: As per this specific code of ACS, an entity must diligently or
competently work for their stakeholders and ensure that all of them are treated equally. The
security and safety issues of chatbot for customers are not considered and hence it is
unethical in nature.
e) Professional Development: As per this specific code of ACS, the organization
should enhance their professional development and hence ensure that chatbot is not affecting
their professional development to any circumstance. As customers are often not satisfied with
these chatbot service, it can be referred to as unethical.
f) Professionalism: As per this specific code of ACS, any company can increase this
code integrity and provide effectiveness to their stakeholders or customers after ensuring that

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chatbot safety and security is being enhanced and also providing benefits to them. However,
for this scenario, the utilization of chatbot can involve few issues related to safety and
security and hence customers could be quite dissatisfied (ACS Code of Ethics. 2019). Thus,
professional is not being maintained and this case study is unethical.
After analysing four ethical theories of utilitarianism, deontology, social contract and
character based and ACS code of ethics, it is concluded that high level of chatbot uses is
increasing issues related to security and safety and thus various problems or complexities
related to technological risks and threats are occurring.
4. Conclusion
Thus, from this above provided discussion, conclusion can be drawn that one of the
major software of artificial intelligence that helps in simulating a conversation and chat with
the users in natural language by undertaking subsequent mobile applications, telephones,
messaging applications and web sites. This report has properly demonstrated the several
security and safety issues, which are extremely common and significant to the company for
utilizing a chatbot in their business. The four ethical theories of utilitarianism, deontology,
social contract and character based or virtue ethics and ACS code of ethics are being used in
this report for analysing the ethical perspective of these issues.

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References
Abawajy, J. (2014). User preference of cyber security awareness delivery
methods. Behaviour & Information Technology, 33(3), 237-248.
ACS Code of Ethics. (2019). [online]. Accessed from
https://www.acs.org.au/content/dam/acs/rules-and-regulations/Code-of-Professional-
Conduct_v2.1.pdf [Accessed on 02 Apr. 2019].
Ben-Asher, N., & Gonzalez, C. (2015). Effects of cyber security knowledge on attack
detection. Computers in Human Behavior, 48, 51-61.
Buczak, A. L., & Guven, E. (2016). A survey of data mining and machine learning methods
for cyber security intrusion detection. IEEE Communications Surveys &
Tutorials, 18(2), 1153-1176.
Cavelty, M. D. (2014). Breaking the cyber-security dilemma: Aligning security needs and
removing vulnerabilities. Science and engineering ethics, 20(3), 701-715.
Dougherty, T. (2013). Agent-neutral deontology. Philosophical Studies, 163(2), 527-537.
Hahn, A., Ashok, A., Sridhar, S., & Govindarasu, M. (2013). Cyber-physical security
testbeds: Architecture, application, and evaluation for smart grid. IEEE Transactions
on Smart Grid, 4(2), 847-855.
Hursthouse, R., & Crisp, R. (2013). Normative virtue ethics. Ethica, 645.
Jackson, F., & Smith, M. (2016). The implementation problem for deontology. Weighing
reasons, 279-291.
Koszegi, B. (2014). Behavioral contract theory. Journal of Economic Literature, 52(4), 1075-
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Mill, J. S. (2016). Utilitarianism. In Seven masterpieces of philosophy (pp. 337-383).
Routledge.
Mulgan, T. (2014). Understanding utilitarianism. Routledge.
Peters, R. S. (2015). Ethics and Education (Routledge Revivals). Routledge.
Von Solms, R., & Van Niekerk, J. (2013). From information security to cyber
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Wang, W., & Lu, Z. (2013). Cyber security in the smart grid: Survey and
challenges. Computer networks, 57(5), 1344-1371.
Wells, L. J., Camelio, J. A., Williams, C. B., & White, J. (2014). Cyber-physical security
challenges in manufacturing systems. Manufacturing Letters, 2(2), 74-77.
1.

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Appendices
Appendix A
Definition of Chatbot
Appendix B
Working Mechanism of Chatbots