AI ethics | Cambridge Science & Spritz vol. 12

danielequercia
Jul 20, 2017 · 3 min read

31st of July, 4pm (uk time), cambridge.

Do your moral decisions depend on the type of device you use? Artist and researcher Albert Barque-Duran’s answer will be a resounding and joyful “yes!”, at the next Cambridge Science & Spritz. In addition of being joyful, that ‘yes!’ will be well-argued in a 2-part talk. At the Cambridge lab, open to external visitors upon registration. On the Internet, livestream at 4:15pm UK time on the 31st of July.


Moral judgments in digital contexts (Part 1). Nowadays, X several of the situations in which we have to make decisions are in digital form. In a first experiment (N =1010) we showed that people’s moral judgments depend on the Digital Context (Smartphone vs. PC) in which a dilemma is presented, becoming more utilitarian (vs. deontological) when using Smartphones in high conflict moral dilemmas. To provide additional evidence, we ran a second (N = 250) and a third experiment (N = 300), where we introduced time constraints and we manipulated time instructions. Our results provide an extended perspective on Dual-Process Models of Moral Judgment, as we showed that the use of smartphones, often assumed to be hurried which would be consistent with gut-feeling decision-making, increased the likelihood of utilitarian responses and decreased deontological ones. We suggest that the increase in utilitarian judgments is a result of inducing high construal, increasing psychological distance and giving rise to an abstract representation of actions. A fourth experiment (N = 1211), where we measured psychological distance, provided some first evidence for our hypotheses. This is one of the first studies to look at the impact of the digital age on moral judgments and the results presented have consequences for understanding moral choice in our increasingly virtualized world.

“My Artificial Muse” at Sónar+D 2017 (Part 2). My Artificial Muse was a 3-day performance at Sónar+D (2017) where the first Mural/Fresco Painting designed 100% by an Artificial Neural Network was created. What is a Muse? Who can be a Muse? Where can we find a Muse? Can a Muse be “artificial”? Do they need to be “physical”? Can a computer-generated Muse be as inspirational as a human-like one? By destroying the classic concept of a Muse, are we creating something better? The artistic fruit of Artificial Intelligence (Computational Creativity) is a growing area of research and is increasingly seeping into the public consciousness. We will discuss how to integrate Artificial Intelligence as a creative collaborator in artistic processes.

Albert Barque-Duran is a Researcher and Artist and has a PhD in Cognitive Science from City, University of London. His research concerns moral judgment and decision-making, human-machine interaction and the ethical dimensions of A.I. Albert’s artwork and performances are inspired by his scientific research and combine classical techniques from Fine Arts such as oil painting to reflect about contemporary issues. He is a Postdoctoral Fellow and the Project Leader at The Architects of Morality, a creative space that supports disruptive art-science projects. He has exhibited and performed at Sónar+D (Barcelona, Spain), Creative Reactions (London, UK), Cambridge Neuroscience Society (Cambridge, UK), Max Planck (Berlin, Germany), SciArt Center (New York, USA).

SocialDynamics

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danielequercia

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social media researcher @ bell labs

SocialDynamics

Social Dynamics Group

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