An ethical framework is a set of principles that can provide a solid base for the development of applications that are consistent with the accepted social norms and moral principles and values in society. Agreeing on an ethical framework or a combination of frameworks will help to guide the developers and users of these technologies.
The central problem for the ethics of emerging technologies is that we humans cannot predict the future, and therefore do not know which ethical issues will play out once the technology is fully developed and entrenched in society. As the emerging technology is still evolving, many questions can arise about its nature, its future use, and its social consequences. However, if an ethical framework is to be useful in an area of emerging technology, it needs to be accepted by researchers/academics and policy makers prior to any activity that uses the technology or during the technology’s development phase. Furthermore, the framework should be used in consultation at every stage of development and not just considered as an afterthought.
The ‘TechEthos Anticipatory ethics Matrix’ (TEAeM) will be useful for researchers, academics and policy makers wanting to assess the ethical issues of emerging technologies and to mitigate these risks. The ordering of the various matrix elements in the TEAeM framework can be done in a range of ways, depending on the specific emerging technology under scrutiny.
In order to achieve an outcome capable of being applied across a range of emerging technologies, we have chosen to take one approach, which uses a combination of empirical studies carried out as part of the method used within TechEthos.
