第1887期:New Handbook Highlights Ways to Develop Tech Ethically

Artificial intelligence technology is developing quickly. A new handbook aims to help technology developers make the best ethical decisions for the public. The new handbook is called Ethics in the Age of Disruptive Technologies: An Operational Roadmap. It promises to give guidance on concerns related to the ethical use of AI technology such as ChatGPT. The handbook has been in the works for a few years. But the writers said they saw a need to work on it with greater urgency with the recent increased use of AI.

人工智能技术正在快速发展。 一本新手册旨在帮助技术开发人员为公众做出最佳的道德决策。这本新手册名为《颠覆性技术时代的道德规范：运营路线图》。 它承诺就 ChatGPT 等人工智能技术的道德使用相关问题提供指导。该手册已经编写了几年。 但作者表示，随着最近人工智能使用的增加，他们认为有必要更加紧迫地开展这方面的工作。

The Institute of Technology, Ethics and Culture (ITEC) released the handbook on June 28. ITEC was launched by Santa Clara University’s Markkula Center for Applied Ethics and the Vatican’s Center for Digital Culture. Father Brendan McGuire worked in the technology industry before entering the priesthood about 23 years ago. He served as the executive director of the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association in the early 1990s. McGuire said that over the years, he has continued to meet with friends from the tech world. Many of them are now leaders in the industry. About 10 years ago, their discussions started to get more serious, he said.

技术、伦理与文化研究所 (ITEC) 于 6 月 28 日发布了该手册。ITEC 由圣克拉拉大学马库拉应用伦理中心和梵蒂冈数字文化中心发起。布伦丹·麦奎尔神父在大约 23 年前成为牧师之前曾在科技行业工作。 20世纪90年代初，他担任个人电脑存储卡国际协会的执行董事。麦奎尔说，多年来，他不断与科技界的朋友见面。 他们中的许多人现在已成为该行业的领导者。 他说，大约十年前，他们的讨论开始变得更加认真。

"They said, 'What is coming over the hill with AI, it's amazing, it's unbelievable. But it's also frightening if we go down the wrong valley,'" McGuire said. McGuire said his former coworkers noted there is no system to make decisions. He got in touch with Kirk Hanson, who was head of the Markkula Center. He also contacted a local bishop, or Catholic religious official. The three of them got together and thought about what they could do. They decided they should get the Vatican involved in their efforts. Involving the government of the Roman Catholic Church made sense to them because tech companies are international companies.

“他们说，‘人工智能将带来什么，这太神奇了，令人难以置信。但如果我们走错了山谷，那也是可怕的，’”麦奎尔说。麦奎尔说，他的前同事指出，没有制定决策的系统。 他联系了马库拉中心的负责人柯克·汉森。 他还联系了当地的主教或天主教宗教官员。三人聚在一起，商量着自己能做些什么。 他们决定让梵蒂冈参与他们的努力。 让罗马天主教会政府参与对他们来说很有意义，因为科技公司是国际公司。

For McGuire, a Catholic priest, getting guidance from the Vatican was a natural step. He worked with Bishop Paul Tighe, who was serving as the secretary of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education. The department works for the development of people’s human values. McGuire said Pope Francis asked Tighe to look into addressing ethical concerns related to technology. After a few years of working together, the Markkula Center and the Vatican officially created the ITEC program in 2019.

对于天主教神父麦奎尔来说，获得梵蒂冈的指导是很自然的一步。 他与担任梵蒂冈文化教育部秘书的保罗·泰赫主教一起工作。 该部门致力于发展人们的人类价值观。麦奎尔说，教皇弗朗西斯要求泰赫研究解决与技术相关的道德问题。经过几年的合作，马库拉中心和梵蒂冈于 2019 年正式创建了 ITEC 项目。

That same year, the Vatican held a meeting in Rome called “The Common Good in the Digital Age.” McGuire said about 270 people joined. Among them were American technology company leaders and experts in robotics, cyberwarfare and security. After talking with tech leaders, the ITEC team decided to create a handbook to help companies think about how technology can be used in ethical ways. The guidelines are not just for Catholics, McGuire said.

同年，梵蒂冈在罗马举行了一次名为“数字时代的共同利益”的会议。 麦奎尔说大约有 270 人加入。 其中包括美国科技公司的领导者以及机器人、网络战和安全领域的专家。在与技术领导者交谈后，ITEC 团队决定创建一本手册，帮助公司思考如何以合乎道德的方式使用技术。麦奎尔说，这些指导方针不仅适用于天主教徒。

Ann Skeet is senior director of leadership ethics at the Markkula Center. She was one of the handbook’s writers. She said the handbook is written in a way that is familiar to business leaders. This handbook comes as leaders in AI are calling for help. In May, Sam Altman of OpenAI stated the need for a new agency to help regulate the powerful systems. And Microsoft president Brad Smith said the U.S. government needs to “move faster” as AI progresses.

安·斯基特 (Ann Skeet) 是马库拉中心领导力道德高级总监。 她是该手册的作者之一。 她说，这本手册的编写方式是商界领袖所熟悉的。这本手册发布之际，人工智能领域的领导者正在寻求帮助。 五月，OpenAI 的 Sam Altman 表示需要一个新机构来帮助监管强大的系统。 微软总裁布拉德·史密斯表示，随着人工智能的进步，美国政府需要“加快步伐”。