Information Revolution and Digital Ethics

Dino-andisheh service of Iran Book News Agency (IBNA) – Reza Dastjerdi: “Ethics of Artificial Intelligence: Principles, Challenges, and Opportunities,” written by Luciano Floridi, a prominent Italian-British philosopher, founder of the “Philosophy of Information,” and one of the most influential interpreters of the digital revolution, was published in 2023 by Oxford University Press and recently translated into Persian by Alireza Seqatoleslami. This work, recently released by Kargadan publishing house, not only examines the ethical foundations of artificial intelligence but also offers a policy-oriented approach to the development and deployment of intelligent systems.

Floridi’s book design goes beyond writing a purely technical text on AI algorithms or a set of stereotypical ethical warnings. It offers a coherent analysis of agency and intelligence in the digital world, carrying deep implications for society, the environment, and policymaking.

Luciano Floridi is one of the most respected figures in contemporary philosophy. He began his studies at the University of Rome and received his master’s and Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Warwick in the UK in the 1990s. Floridi founded the “Philosophy of Information,” and his research primarily focuses on digital ethics, AI ethics, philosophy of information, and philosophy of technology. Floridi’s project is a four-part work on the foundations of information philosophy, known as “Principles of Information Philosophy.” So far, three volumes of this project have been published: “Philosophy of Information” (2011), “Information Ethics” (2013), and “Information Logic” (2019). The current book, “Ethics of Artificial Intelligence: Principles, Challenges, and Opportunities,” is the first part of the fourth volume of this project.

Alireza Seqatoleslami, the translator of the work, addresses the importance of the book in its introductory note, presenting it as a valuable philosophical and analytical work in the field of AI ethics and policymaking. In his view, due to Floridi’s philosophical background, the book has a coherent argumentative approach and is useful not only for ethics researchers (especially applied ethics) but also recommended for engineers, managers, lawyers, and policymakers involved with intelligent systems. He further explains that this book differs from other recent works on AI ethics because it not only examines challenges but also provides a policy-oriented approach for developing AI beneficial to society.

Floridi’s preface begins by describing the digital revolution, where life without digital technologies—from education and commerce to entertainment and health—is unimaginable. Floridi considers this revolution a new chapter in human history, similar to the invention of the wheel, alphabet, or steam engine. In his opinion, we are the last generation to have experienced analog and offline reality, and future generations will never know it.

While mentioning the uncertainties of this digital transformation, which is amazing yet worrying, Floridi quotes Winston Churchill: “We shape our buildings, and afterwards our buildings shape us.” In his view, in the early stages of constructing digital reality, we have the opportunity to shape it for the benefit of humanity and the environment.

The book is part of Floridi’s larger project on transformations of agency in the digital revolution. He sees artificial intelligence as “artificial agency,” which is a form of separation between agency (the ability to interact successfully with the world) and intelligence.

In the four-part “Principles of Information Philosophy,” this book falls between volume one and volume two. Volume one defines information as meaningful and true data; volume two examines the ethics of informational beings (inforgs) in the infosphere; volume three focuses on conceptual logic. Finally, the present book, by emphasizing conceptual design, builds a bridge to information policy.

Floridi also criticizes philosophical misconceptions. In his view, epistemology should shift from representation to creation; ethics should focus on relationships; metaphysics on relations; logic on limitations; AI on engineering agency without the need for biological intelligence; and politics on social relationships.

The book has two main parts. Part one, titled “Understanding Artificial Intelligence,” includes the first three chapters: 1. Past: The emergence of artificial intelligence, 2. Present: Artificial intelligence as a new form of agency, not intelligence, 3. Future: The foreseeable development of artificial intelligence. Floridi recommends classic books like Russell and Norvig for a technical introduction.

Part two, titled “Evaluating Artificial Intelligence,” is theoretical and examines the ethical implications of this separation. Chapter 4 provides a unified framework of ethical principles for AI; Chapter 5, “From Principles to Practices: The Dangers of Being Unethical,” discusses the risks of weakening these principles; Chapter 6, “Soft Ethics and AI Governance,” analyzes the relationship between ethical principles and legal norms and defines “soft ethics” as post-compliance ethics. Chapter 7, “Mapping Algorithmic Ethics,” covers the ethical challenges of AI development; Chapter 8, “Bad Practices: Misuse of AI for Social Malice,” covers malicious uses; and finally, Chapter 9, “Good Practices: Proper Use of AI in Service of Social Good,” covers benevolent practices.

The final chapters are dedicated to artificial intelligence for social good: Chapter 10 is titled “How to Create a Good AI Society; Some Recommendations.” Chapter 11, “The Gambit: AI’s Impact on Climate Change,” covers the environmental impacts of AI and its role in combating climate change; Chapter 12, “AI and UN Sustainable Development Goals,” covers the use of AI to support the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, and Chapter 13 concludes.

Floridi describes the book’s style as analytical-continental tradition, linking it to Peirce’s pragmatism and Simon’s philosophy of technology. He emphasizes that philosophy, at its best, is conceptual design and understanding the world to improve it. Floridi sees AI as the continuation of intelligent behavior through other methods, just like a smartphone playing chess without biological intelligence, and finds its importance in a policymaking approach.

“Ethics of Artificial Intelligence: Principles, Challenges, and Opportunities” was published in 464 pages by Kargadan Publishing.