OUA 2019 SP2: Ethics of Automation and AI in Modern Society Report

This report explores the ethical dimensions of automation and artificial intelligence across various sectors. It begins with an introduction to the topic and then delves into a background analysis, examining automation's impact on job displacement, its applications in healthcare, the ethical considerations of AI in warfare, and the rise of automation in transportation. The report then investigates the legal recourse available in Australia concerning these issues. Proposed solutions are presented, followed by case studies on Foxconn and an Uber incident. The report concludes with a discussion of the key findings and implications. The report highlights the need for careful consideration of the ethical and societal impacts of these technologies.

Ethics of automation and artificial
intelligence in modern society

1. Introduction (150w) 2
2. Background Analysis (800w) 2
2.1 Automation Replacing Jobs (200w) 2
2.2 Automation in Healthcare (200w) 3
2.3 AI & Warfare (removing man from the - kill decision loop) (Chris) (200w) 4
2.4 Automation transport (self driving cars etc) (Steven) (200w) 5
3. Legal Recourse Available in Australia (400w) (Chris) 6
Automation Replacing Jobs 6
4. Proposed Solutions (800w) 7
4.1 Solution 1 (270w) (Martin) 7
4.2 Solution 2 (270w) (Johnatan) 7
Universal Basic Income 7
4.3 Solution 3 (270w) (Steve) (Automation transport) 9
5. Case Study (600) 9
5.1 Foxcon (300w) (Johnatan) 9
5.2 Uber Incident (300w) (Chris) 9
6. Conclusion (200w) (Martin) 9
7. Bibliography 9
8. Appendix 10
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1. Introduction (250w)
This report addresses the understaffed scenario that is prevailing in Australia in the domain
of Healthcare. As per the analysis that has been performed in this domain, it has been
anticipated that there will be a depreciation in the percentage of nursing staff by a significant
amount that in turn would outcome in the lack of the potential care imparted to the patients.
This shortcoming is expected to be sufficed through the incorporation of the automation
within the structural framework of the healthcare systems in Australia. There are several
beneficial aspects of the automation that will empower the healthcare system with the
provisions of voice-recognized televisions and human temperature detected lighting facilities.
However, this automation oriented healthcare system will also have demerits on the ground
it will be incompetent to provide the touch of social care and impart feeling of love and
warmth to the patients which are vital factors for the recovery of the patients. This report
incorporates the following aspects – Significant role played by the automation in substituting
the jobs, Role of automation in the healthcare industries, coherence between artificial
intelligence and warfare, implementation of automation in transportation and the prevailing
recourse in Australia.
2. Background Analysis (800w)
2.1 Automation Replacing Jobs (300w)
Automation is expected to change the way we work and live with up to 47% of jobs at
risk of being replaced.
Ever since the industrial revolution which changed societies worldwide from agrarian
industries to manufacturing industries automation has been a part of our lives. The industrial
revolution brought many benefits with the automation that it introduced including goods
becoming more affordable and accessible, increased wealth for the average person and the
evolution of medicine by providing manufactured tools such as scalpels which previously
was not possible. The industrial revolution also brought its own set of new unique problems.
Due to many workers now being employed to work in factories cities became overcrowded,
pollution increased and the health benefit that farmers received from labor intensive work
dropped away.
The next revolution in automation was seeded in the year 1954 with the creation of the first
ever industrial robot named “the Unimate”. This robot was used by General Motors factory
for handling die casts and spot welding car bodies. By the 1980’s the automotive industry
was using robots within their manufacturing process to greatly reduced the time and effort
required to create automobiles, however these robots were still limited to relatively simple
pre-programmed tasks.
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This is all expected to change with the rise of artificial intelligence and further innovations
within the robot industry.
Automation of the labor workforce has many stakeholders including:
● Employees
● Employers
● Consumers
● Governments
Each of these stakeholders come with their own unique obligations. Employees share some
responsibility in re-skilling or up-skilling in order to find necessary work. Employers need to
consider how they look after their employees and help them to re-skill or up-skill, whilst at
the same time aim to increase their productivity and profitability to provide a better return to
their investors. Consumers can expect products and services to become more accessible
and affordable, however perhaps they will need to consider responsible shopping and only
purchase from companies that have supported their employees through the transition.
Governments will need to consider how they can help with re-skilling / up-skilling campaigns,
whether universal basic income is necessary for their society or even if they need to legislate
some protection for workers whose jobs may be replaced by automation.
2.2 Automation in Healthcare (300w)
The importance of Automation in the healthcare industry in Australia is profound and there is
the utter necessity of the emergence of Automation in the healthcare domain of Australia
owing to the lack of staff in the health care domain. Out of the seven dominant pillars of
Automation oriented industries where Automation has gained predominance, Healthcare is
the foremost among them. ”The patient is required to press a response button when the test
signal is heard and release it when they lose perception of the signal” (Khodambashi 2013).
There is an enhancement in the requirement for the increased number of doctors and nurses
in Australia owing to the augmentation in the population density, which is growing in a
parabolic relation with reference to the time frame. The understaffed scenario in Australia
has stimulated and instigated the errors that creep into the scenario in regards to drugs and
medicines. “This method has been modified in some cases to includeforced-choice
responses from the patient” (Mahomed, Eikelboom and Soer 2013). Also there is the
emergence of the threat imposing infections which are the after effects of a surgery, which
also owes its origin to the under staffed scenario in the Health care industry of Australia. As
per the analysis of a research that has been performed on the prevailing under staffed
scenario in the Australian healthcare industry, there is a generalized anticipation that the
number of nurses in Australia will witness a depreciation by a considerable amount which is
approximated to 100,000. The succeeding consequence would result in the provision for
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improper care to the civilians of Australia. All these short comings has provided the ground
that will facilitates the emergence of Automation in the field of Health care. Although it is
expected that Automation would successfully wipe out the problem of under staffing,
however there are some vulknerabilites integrated within the structural Frame work of the
Automation approach, a particular citation of which is the possibility of the software to get
compromised at any point of time resulting in the security breach. “The healthcare industry is
one of the largest sectors in many economies” (Wamba, Anand and Carter 2013). Another
loophole in this approach is that the automation oriented healthcare system would lack the
love and care imparted by the nursing staffs to the patients which to some extent has
contribution in the improvement of the mental health of patients through social interactions.
2.3 AI & Warfare (removing man from the - kill decision loop)
(Chris) (300w)
Ever industrial revolutions have some change in the character of Warfare. Horowitz, Allen,
Kania and Scharre note the Second Industrial Revolutions brought on capabilities that
changed the warzone. which saw the shift in land warfare with the introduction of Tanks,
Trucks, radius and aeroplanes. These technologies were created of perfected as part of the
Second Industrial revolutions. The third Industrial Revolution saw the introduction of
microelectronics and computing. These technologies saw the invention of stealth and uses
of satellites for reconnaissance and mission guidance. The next Industrial revolutions that
will see AI being used as a general-purpose technology. The stakeholder of the AI in the
future of Warfare arrange other than the military will be commercial. As some applications of
AI can also have clear industrial applicability such as image recognition. Additional use of AI
<Battle field sims>
Governments will also be a key stakeholder as AI has an impact on national economics and
military power. Human rights groups will be a critical stakeholder for some product can be
labelled as “killer robots”.
Swart, Boufous and Escalle bring up how to implement ethics rules into AI. They make a
note of the three laws of robotics by Science fiction author Isaac Asimov.
1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to
come to harm.
2. A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders
would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict
with the First or Second Laws
Just following these three rules can have consequences as the failure to act or inaction can
have an impact on human life. If we use a Utilitarian approach to define moral and ethical
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principles. The utilitarian approach would see the values of outcomes being assigned to
each decision. Having value for each result would allow the selection of the outcome that
ends with maximizes benefits and minimize harm as the end goal. The mathematical point of
these AI algorithms is much easier to set up as it takes many input parameters and gives a
result based on the different decision.
2.4 Automation transport (self driving cars etc) (Steven) (300w)
In human history, Transportation was ever just an abstract word for animals, eg horse, as a
tool for the humans to commute from place to place. With the invention of the bicycle, the
new concept of transports was defined-- modern transportation can be something not alive.
It can be any form of the objects as long as it is a system of transporting, such as a car,
train, spaceship, etc. One of the common differences for modern transportation distinguishes
the ancient transportation is that they are all not “alive”. The modern transportations need us
to manipulate them manually or by means of s specific computer system. In this stage, the
drivers are still heavily involved. however, “whether we like it or not, automation is gradually
taking over the driver’s role, Full vehicle automation is predicted to be on British roads by
2030 (Walker et al., 2001).” the next stage of evolution of transportation will be focusing on
vitalizing the transportation, which means that transportation can perform the tasks that are
usually only performed by humans, for example, self-driving cars.
The new development of transportation will definitely arise more problems and issues while
we are enjoying the new conveniences of it. What about the situation below? A self-driving
car hit a pedestrian, who will be responsible for this incident?
To identify the stakeholders is absolutely necessary. The duties and obligations of each
stakeholder needs to be clarified, otherwise, the automation transportation could be a
disaster for all of us.
Possible stakeholders can be:
● Manufacturer
● suppliers
● dealers
● Users
● Relevant government department
● Network carrier
Each of these stakeholders come with their own obligations.
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● Manufacturer: be responsible for the integrity of the product, assure that all
components of the product compatible and functions of the product are functional in
the stated circumstances.
● Suppliers: ensure the supplying of quality components for the products.
● Dealers: offer intuitive instructions to the users on the products based on the
requirements of the manufacturer.
● Users: no product abuse which causes the malfunction of the product.
● Relevant government department: the relevant legislation on illegal events and
affairs.
● Network carrier: be responsible for providing the stable and seamless network
support on the product.
3. Legal Recourse Available in Australia (400w)
(Chris)
If someone suffers adversely as a result of the use of technology within your chosen topic,
what legal recourse is available in Australia? Consider questions such as:
- Who is legally responsible for the negative consequences and why?
- Who is obligated to ensure no harm can come to those who use this technology, or
are involved in this situation?
- If there is no specific law to deal with the issue, what could be done?
Automation Replacing Jobs
Within Australia there is a provision for jobs being replaced by automation which states
"Redundancy can happen when the business introduces new technology (eg. the job can be
done by a machine)", and in this instance there is no legal recourse available for the
employee whose job is being replaced.
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This is because the redundancy is considered to be a genuine redundancy. If the employee
A’s job had been replaced by employee B then employee A would be able to lodge an unfair
dismissal claim as it would not be considered a genuine redundancy on the grounds that the
employer “still needs the employee’s job to be done by someone (eg. hires someone else to
do the job)”.
4. Proposed Solutions (800w)
4.1 Universal Basic Income (270w) (Johnatan)
What is Universal Basic Income?
Universal Basic Income is unconditional income paid to all individuals irrespective of their
employment status or other means tested criteria.
How would Universal Basic Income work?
The delivery of Universal Basic Income itself is simple, a regular universal payment is made
to all citizens, the more challenging question is how Universal Basic Income will be paid for
by Governments around the world. There are a few different schools of thought on how this
could be achieved including introducing a “robot tax” or even completely replacing existing
social assistance policies with Universal Basic Income.
By replacing existing social assistance policies the money that is used to support these
initiatives could be redistributed to a Universal Basic Income policy which would provide
other benefits such as lower administration costs and greater transparency. In the instance
of a “robot tax” companies that reap the benefit of replacing their labour forces with
automation would be expected to pay an additional tax that would be used to supplement
the Universal Basic Income. This could even work in conjunction with the replacement of the
existing social assistance policies.
Expected consequences?
Having a Universal Basic Income would be expected to provide a number of benefits
including:
● An efficient way to redistribute the benefits from automation.
● A buffer against the effects of automation and globalization.
● Citizens will have the freedom to pursue their ambitions and creativity.
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● It will be easier for family and friends to care for our ageing population without the
need to work through the current bureaucratic processes.
In counterpoint to the above benefits there are also some posited down sides to having a
Universal Basic Income which are:
● Higher taxes needed to support the initiative.
● Potentially a reduced labor force.
● A less motivated, less autonomous workforce.
For both the expected advantages and expected disadvantages more information is needed.
Governments around the world such as Canada and the Netherlands are already performing
micro studies to further explore Universal Basic Income as a solution, and we should watch
these studies closely.
4.2 Preventing further understaffing in healthcare (270w)
There are a certain category of patients who aspire to avail the medication facilities from
home only instead of visiting Nursing Homes incurring huge expenses. This can be achieved
through the application of Automation that will address the requirement facilitating the
provision for the ultra-modern technologies like gaining control over the temperature control
of a room, implemented through a touch screen control that operates on a wireless platform.
Automation should be successful in equipping the infrastructure with the potentials of
intercom that eventually would facilitate the provision for receiving the guests. Automation
should also gain potential ground in providing facilities like motor controlled doors
accompanied by sensors which will be capable enough to detect the presence of individuals
approaching towards the door within 30 cm of its vicinity and accordingly will open or close,
which in turn incorporates the application of artificial intelligence. “Despite the rising
implementation of RFID technology-based healthcare services, few empirical studies have
been conducted to assess the potential ofthis technology within the healthcare sector”
(Wamba, Anand and Carter 2013). In a similar fashion there needs to be the provision of
sensor activated lighting facilities or more elaborately depicting, the lighting facilities should
have artificial intelligence oriented software integrated within their structural frame work that
eventually would render the provision for the auto lighting and auto turn off the lighting
facilities by sensing the presence of the patients within the peripheral dimensions of the
room. Apart from the above mentioned aspects, there needs to be the arrangement for the
voice recognized televisions for the bed ridden patients who encounter difficulty in changing
their positions for the turn off and on of the televisions. Hence, there arises the requirement
for the voice controlled televisions that will operate as per the choice of the patients.
“However, much of this rich data set is currently perceived as a byproduct of health care
delivery, rather than a central asset to improve its efficiency” (Murdoch and Detsky 2013).
Hence, Artificial Intelligence will also gain potential ground in this scenario thereby imparting
the necessary technical support to the televisions which will equip them with the provision of
operating under vice control thereby the quality of voice recognition would be imbibed within
the television, facilitated by Artificial Intelligence.
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4.3 Solution 3 (270w) (Steve) (Automation transport)
5. Case Study (600)
5.1 Foxconn (300w) (Jonathan)
5.2 Uber Incident (300w) (Chris)
6. Conclusion (200w)
7. Bibliography
References
Mahomed, F., Eikelboom, R.H. and Soer, M., 2013. Validity of automated threshold audiometry: a
systematic review and meta-analysis. Ear and hearing, 34(6), pp.745-752.
URL : https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/053f/fab7850497d7d818416e779e0fe8c19fd50a.pdf
Wamba, S.F., Anand, A. and Carter, L., 2013. A literature review of RFID-enabled healthcare
applications and issues. International Journal of Information Management, 33(5), pp.875-891.
URL : http://fossowambasamuel.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/JJIM-1259-Fosso-
Wamba-et-al.-2013.pdf
Murdoch, T.B. and Detsky, A.S., 2013. The inevitable application of big data to health
care. Jama, 309(13), pp.1351-1352.
URL: https://moodle2.bgu.ac.il/moodle/pluginfile.php/438205/mod_resource/content/2/big
%20data%20JAMA%202013.pdf
Sinnemäki, J., Sihvo, S., Isojärvi, J., Blom, M., Airaksinen, M. and Mäntylä, A., 2013. Automated dose
dispensing service for primary healthcare patients: a systematic review. Systematic reviews, 2(1), p.1.
URL : https://systematicreviewsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/2046-4053-2-1
Khodambashi, S., 2013. Business process re-engineering application in healthcare in a relation to
health information systems. Procedia Technology, 9, pp.949-957.
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URL : http://dl.sourceiran.com/maghale-translate/Business-Process-Re-Engineering-
Application-in-Healthcare-in-a-relation-to-Health-Information-Systems.pdf
Martin References
anmj.org.au, 2018. Lack of Nurses the Key Factor. Research, [Online]. 26, 1.
Available at: https://go-gale-com.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&u=griffith&id=GALE|A549159072&v=2.1&it=r&sid=summon [Accessed 12
August 2019].
Johnatan References
Chris References
Steve References
- Min 20 references, 8 out of 20 must be peer-reviewed journal articles
5 references each member, at least two peer-reviewed journal articles
- Harvard referencing
- All resources must be stored in Google Drive folder where folder must be
shared by a URL, URL must be written in the appendix
- Section of each article that you have referred must be highlighted, otherwise they
won't be counted
https://www.fairwork.gov.au/ending-employment/redundancy?print=1
8. Appendix
URL to resource file :
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