Better Transparency: Introducing Contextual Transparency for Automated Decision Systems

LinkedIn Recruiter would function better if recruiters knew exactly how LinkedIn generates its search query responses, possible through a framework called “contextual transparency.” A team of researchers led by NYU Tandon School of Engineering’s Mona Sloane advance this thought in a provocative new study published in Nature Machine Intelligence.

American Assn of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) President Comments on Nurses Topping Gallup Poll as Most Trusted Profession for 21st Year

For 21 consecutive years, the American public has ranked nurses as the number one profession with the highest honesty and ethics values, according to the latest Gallup poll released Jan. 10, 2023. Amanda Bettencourt, PhD, APRN, CCRN-K, ACCNS-P, president of the American Association…

Understanding the Expanded Role of Clinical Ethicists

The COVID-19 pandemic brought many troubling ethical issues to the frontlines of clinical care, creating significant distress for clinicians, patients, and families. Behind the scenes, clinical ethicists managed those issues to support front-line workers and were integral to hospital operations.

UW to lead new NSF institute for using artificial intelligence to understand dynamic systems

The University of Washington will lead a new artificial intelligence research institute that will focus on fundamental AI and machine learning theory, algorithms and applications for real-time learning and control of complex dynamic systems, which describe chaotic situations where conditions are constantly shifting and hard to predict.

Equity and Vaccine Allocation: Beyond Ethics in Prioritization to Equitable Production, Distribution, and Consumption

In a new paper in Ethics & International Affairs, Binghamton University Professor of Philosophy Nicole Hassoun first considers existing proposals for equitable vaccine allocation focusing on the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) facility. She then argues that to better promote…

Study Points to Importance of Crisis Standards of Care for Equitable Allocation of Scarce Medical Resources

University of Miami Miller School of Medicine study, “Assessment of the Disparities Associated With a Crisis Standards of Care Resource Allocation Algorithm for Patients in Two U.S. Hospitals During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” published March 11 in JAMA Network Open, a journal of the American Medical Association.

‘Immunity passports’ for COVID-19 must be distributed equitably

Proof of vaccination against COVID-19 i.e. “immunity passports” promise a way to return to a more normal social and economic life, but the benefits they generate will be dispersed unequally, and it is not obvious that they are ethical, according…

Why COVID-19 vaccine distribution methods fall short and 3 ways to improve them

Several proposals have emerged on how to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine, but they fall short in ensuring that the vaccine is distributed fairly. A team including Binghamton University professor Nicole Hassoun suggests three ways to more fairly and effectively distribute the vaccine so that people in poor countries get the vaccine as soon as possible.

Researchers publish call to action for research ethics in the time of COVID-19 and BLM

In their paper “Ethics of Research at the Intersection of COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter: A Call to Action,” UIC faculty authors highlight the historical issues that impact research involving Black populations. They also provide recommendations for researchers to ethically engage Black populations in research. The article is published online in the Journal of Medical Ethics.

It’s morally wrong for rich nations to hoard COVID-19 vaccine

Rich nations should not engage in “vaccine nationalism” and keep the COVID-19 vaccine to themselves when poorer nations need them, according to Nicole Hassoun, professor of philosophy at Binghamton University, State University of New York.

A Force of Influence: Children as YouTube Stars

Benjamin Burroughs, an assistant professor of journalism and media studies at UNLV, examines the emergent digital media landscape where children are cultivated as child “influencers” and explores the ethical considerations of child-created content on social media sites like YouTube.

What are the promises and perils of geoengineering?

In a new book, “Has It Come to This? The Promises and Perils of Geoengineering on the Brink,” Holly Jean Buck and colleagues weigh in on social, ethical and political dimensions of deliberate, large-scale interventions in the planet’s climate.

From classroom to kitchen

Like many college students, Jada Taylor was unsure about which major would be best for her – until she found philosophy. Along the way, pursuing a philosophy degree has not only prepared her for her future career but helped her make important life decisions, such as choosing to become vegan and low waste.

What If People Use Autonomous Vehicles To Do Bad Things?

There’s a fairly large flaw in the way that programmers are currently addressing ethical concerns related to artificial intelligence and autonomous vehicles (AVs). Namely, existing approaches don’t account for the fact that people might try to use the AVs to do something bad.

New in the Hastings Center Report: A call to confront mistrust in the US health care system

“For those who have faced exploitation and discrimination at the hands of physicians, the medical profession, and medical institutions, trust is a tall order and, in many cases, would be naïve,” writes Laura Specker Sullivan in “Trust, Risk, and Race in American Medicine.”

Report Builds Framework For Journalists to Examine ‘Digital Political Ethics’ For Online Campaign Ads

Online political advertising is not regulated by the federal government the way television ads are. What standards can journalists use when examining social media campaigning?
Johns Hopkins and three other universities have developed a set of 12 recommendations based around 4 ethical principles that reporters can use when judging online campaign strategies.

Society is Rejecting Facts; Medical Researchers Can Help

Anecdotes, fake news and social media have created a skeptical and misinformed public who is rejecting the facts. A commentary says that medical researchers must help the public understand the rigorous process of science and help them to discern an anecdote from peer-reviewed scientific results. The best way to do this? By continuing to ensure integrity, rigor, reproducibility and replication of their science and to earn the public’s trust by being morally responsible and completely free of any influences.