Reflection Toni's Ethics
During the Design Studio 02 course, we were lucky enough to welcome Toni Navarro, a professor and philosopher, who gave us a presentation on “Ethics of design in human-technical cognitive assemblages”. This presentation touched on ethical issues that I'd been wondering about but had never really had a course on. The whole presentation was very philosophical, so I'm only going to touch on the subjects that resonated most with me and that I understood best.
In this first part I'm going to look at the theme of technology and ethical responsibility that Navarro addressed. He explained that technology is not simply a neutral tool, but actively shapes our decisions and our perception of the world. A striking example I note is the algorithms that recommend content on social networks. These algorithms influence what we see and, by extension, what we think. This raises an important question: who is responsible for the biases or negative effects of these systems? I was also particularly struck by the idea of “ethics by design”. It suggests that ethics should be integrated right from the design stage. For example, in the field of artificial intelligence, it's crucial to anticipate how a system can be used in a malicious or biased way. Good design is not just about aesthetics or functionality, but also about the impact on users and society. And I think, for example, that this has not been anticipated at all with artificial intelligence, and so we're finding ourselves with more and more ethical problems.
Another key aspect of the presentation is the notion of shared responsibility. Engineers and designers are not the only ones who have to carry the ethical burden, but they do have a central role in how a technology is conceived and used. Poor design can create unintended or harmful uses. For example, a poorly calibrated facial recognition system can discriminate against certain population groups. I find particularly interesting the concept of design justice, which aims to include marginalized populations in the design of technologies. Too often, innovations are designed by and for a privileged minority, which excludes a large proportion of potential users. Adopting a more inclusive approach would enable us to create products that are fairer and more suitable for all. We also need to be wary of projects that claim to be concerned with populations in order to engage in ethics-washing.
One of Navarro's key ideas is that of human-technical cognitive assemblies. Our decisions are increasingly influenced by intelligent machines, which raises the question of human autonomy. If an autonomous car has to make a decision in a dangerous situation, how can we ensure that its choice respects ethical principles? There are many examples of this, and these choices for human beings are also very complex, so creating an algorithm that is as close to ethical as possible is sometimes impossible. I think we need to think about how we co-evolve with technology. As engineers and designers, we have a responsibility in how these tools are conceived and used. More transparent regulation and greater involvement of society in these decisions would be solutions to avoid abuses and promote ethical use of technologies.
Toni Navarro's presentation inspired me to take a fresh look at design and engineering. Ethics should not be a last-minute thought, but a central element of technological design. We all have a role to play in the way technologies shape our world. As someone who is passionate about design and new technologies, this reflection encourages me to integrate a more ethical and inclusive approach into my future projects. Although one of my visions of all this is that it's mainly those in power who have the final say in all this, and I think that ethics isn't synonymous with making more money, so it's of little interest to the big bosses who are always thirsting for more, and only care about ethics if justice comes against them and threatens their wealth and position of power.
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