Ethical Concerns of Automation

Many businesses today – government agencies, nonprofit enterprises, and commercial organizations – have invested in intelligent automation. Some of these automation systems and artificial intelligence algorithms are applied to highly-sensitive sectors, such as the military. While automated systems have significantly improved ROI, it has raised various ethical concerns. 

This resulted in significant press coverage of the ethical implications of automation. Automated systems can work autonomously without human intervention. A simple error in these systems can harm people or lead to significant financial losses. So, how do we ensure that automated systems are ethical and follow the right principles? Here is a comprehensive review of the ethical implications of automation and their solutions. 

Top 5 Ethical Implications of Automation

Here are some key ethical issues related to automation:

• Violation of Data Privacy and Security

Automation often relies on gathering and analyzing large amounts of data from different sources. This raises ethical concerns about data privacy ad security. Automation has already raised various ethical concerns regarding customer data privacy. 

For instance, automated AI algorithms can collect and analyze data “behind the scenes” and recommend personalized products to the customer. But what if the customer doesn’t like their online activity monitored? Such questions raise concerns about individuals’ control over their data. 

Another real-life example is Baidu’s DeepVoice application which can “clone” a voice based on about 3.7 seconds of the original audio input. The good side of this software is that you can have your favorite musician’s voice tell you the next turn to take when using your navigation application. On the flip side, this automated software has a high potential for abuse. 

Therefore, it’s essential to ensure people’s personal data is handled responsibly. Also, appropriate measures should be established to protect this data against misuse or breaches. 

Solution 

Companies should consider several ethical considerations in their automated systems to protect data privacy and security, such as:

1. Anonymizing data wherever possible. 
2. Obtaining informed consent.
3. Providing people with control over their data. 

•  Biased Decision-Making 

Automation solutions often make decisions autonomously based on data inputs and predefined algorithms. Therefore, their decisions are only as good as their data. If automated systems use inaccurate data, their decisions will be biased, leading to the execution of unethical actions. This raises ethical questions about fairness, biases, and values embedded in automation solutions. 

An example of a biased automated system is Tay, an AI-driven chatbot developed by researchers and given its social media account. While this bot was not coded as racist, it exhibited racist characteristics. According to a TechCrunch journalist, this bot learned these characteristics from other accounts it engaged with. Therefore, it’s evident that if not carefully monitored, automation solutions can make ethically questionable decisions or perpetuate existing biases.

Solution

Accountable and transparent decision-making processes are crucial to address biased decision-making concerns. Here are some tips to consider to minimize bias in automated systems and AI models:

• Pinpoint the bias vectors that your automated system or AI model is exposed to. These may include historical, political, social, and ethical biases that could corrupt its training.
• Collect perspectives from experts in different sectors about the possible negative scenarios that should be expected or avoided. Create metrics to measure any movement away from or toward these scenarios. 
• Screen the data for inclusiveness and its ability to integrate the full population diversity across ethnicity, ideology, race, gender, and other social lines. 
• Understand the data so deeply that it is easy to concentrate on and fix problematic tags. This can be achieved by structuring the data properly. 
• Identify and neutralize various factors that can be foreseen as driving results in discriminatory and prejudiced directions.
• Regularly analyze the performance and outputs of automatic solutions and integrate user feedback. 

• Job Displacement

Automation has numerous benefits, such as streamlining business processes and improving productivity. However, it has its challenges, such as displacing specific jobs.

Automation will take over repetitive tasks. As technology advances, automated systems will improve their capabilities, making them capable of handling more complex tasks. This means they will replace human employees, leading to more individuals facing financial instability and unemployment. Ethical concerns arise in terms of ensuring that the affected individuals can get new job opportunities. 

Solution

Several actions can be taken to address the ethical issues related to job displacement due to automation. These include:

• Upskilling.
• Retraining.
• Providing necessary support to enable employees to transition into new job responsibilities. 

• Lack of Control Over Automation Solutions

Automated systems and bots can function autonomously. But what if they make a mistake? Who will be held accountable? Control over automated solutions is critical to ensure appropriate use. Otherwise, people will misuse these solutions, raising numerous ethical and security concerns. Holding automated system owners and developers accountable will encourage responsible use. 

Solution

Without a doubt, proper control over automation solutions is crucial. Some recommendations to address the lack of control over automated systems issue include:

• Establishing standards and requirements for deploying automated systems.
• Setting up a registration process to ensure that automated system owners are known.

• Economic Inequality 

Countries are looking for ways to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor. However, if not properly governed, automation can amplify income inequality if all the benefits of cost savings and productivity primarily go to shareholders and business owners. This can widen the wealth gap between business owners and the displaced employees, causing a significant economic imbalance in society. 

Solution 

Addressing this problem requires careful ethical discussions on how automation benefits can be distributed more equitably across all community members. Strategies such as employee upskilling and training to ensure they remain relevant to work in the automation-driven business world.

Final Thoughts

Automation brings significant advantages to the business world. It streamlines processes and improves productivity, and efficiency, to mention a few. However, as more companies implement automation, several ethical concerns have emerged. For instance, automation relies on large amounts of data, raising concerns over the violation of data privacy and security. Other ethical issues include biased decision-making, lack of control over automated systems, job displacement, and income inequality.

These ethical concerns require careful consideration and multi-stakeholder involvement to devise functional solutions. This will help the world to get the best out of automation while minimizing its harm to individuals.

Sage IT’s Role as an Automation Anywhere Implementation Partner

Sage IT recognizes the value of automation in the modern business world. As a result, the company has partnered with Automation Anywhere, helping organizations implement and streamline their automation initiatives. As one of Automation Anywhere implementation partners, Sage IT offers various services, including the following:

• Assessment. Sage IT helps your team evaluate the compatibility of your IT infrastructure with Automation Anywhere systems. Also, it assesses the feasibility of implementing and integrating Automation Anywhere.
• Consultancy Services. Sage IT’s skilled professionals offer quality advisory services regarding various Automation Anywhere use cases. 
• Development, Configuration, and Implementation. Sage IT’s experienced team helps companies develop, configure, implement, and scale up RPA bots to meet their business goals. Also, it enables them to transition to the new bot-driven environment while incorporating AI and other advanced technologies. 
• Maintenance and Support. Sage IT offers constant maintenance and support to ensure bot optimization and training. 

The partnership between businesses and Sage IT, using Automation Anywhere services for automation, has improved customer experience and productivity and minimized costs. Business representatives have provided positive testimonials and reviews, proving Sage IT’s competency as an Automation Anywhere implementation partner.