How to Build the Good and Responsible Thing

A presentation at Front Conference in August 2022 in Zürich, Switzerland by Per Axbom

Slide 1

HOW TO BUILD THE GOOD AND RESPONSIBLE THING PER AXBOM • DIGITAL ETHICIST AND COMMUNICATION THEORIST • AXBOM.COM

Slide 2

Slide 3

Slide 4

Slide 5

Slide 6

Slide 7

Slide 8

Slide 9

Slide 10

Slide 11

Slide 12

s r e t e m o l i 6,400 k 7,200 kil ometers

Slide 13

WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND HOW OUR MAPS AND TOOLS INFLUENCE OUR THINKING AND REASONING AND PREJUDICE

Slide 14

Slide 15

Slide 16

Road space taken up by 69 people on a bus on bicycles in cars

Slide 17

Road space taken up by 69 people in fossil-fuel cars in electric cars in self-driving cars

Slide 18

Discover Define Develop Deliver

Slide 19

NORM / “MOST PEOPLE” Discover Define Develop Deliver

Slide 20

NORM / “MOST PEOPLE” Discover Define Develop Deliver

Slide 21

EDGE-CASE NORM / “MOST PEOPLE” EDGE-CASE Discover Define Develop Deliver

Slide 22

MOST PROJECTS KEEP BUILDING FOR THE AVERAGE, NON-EXISTENT, PERSON

Slide 23

We can not keep using the same maps and expect negative impact to suddenly disappear.

Slide 24

The Elements of Digital Ethics Date • version March 1, 2021 • 1.0 Machine Organisation Lack of ethical ownership Digital obfuscation Unaccountability Monoculture Ethicswashing Attention economy Surveillance capitalism Viral reproduction Permanent impact Regulation defects Geographic resistance Supervision Rampant harassment Voice suppression Abuse enablement Exclusion Education defects Ecological neglect Unequal access Environment Society Rule of Quantity Naive recklessness CC-BY-NC-SA Per Axbom • @axbom Technosolutionism Psychoengineering Supply chain neglect Worker endangerment Invisible decisionmaking Algorithmic injustice Digital gaslighting Power concentration Latest + Hi-Res axbom.com/elements Private public spaces online Behavior suppression Human Biometric abuse Privacy devaluation AXBOM.COM/ELEMENTS

Slide 25

HUMAN BEHAVIOR SUPPRESSION Using design to influence people’s behavior in a certain direction, making it harder for them to act in their own interest. The purpose is to have people act in a way that benefits the organisation regardless of a persons’s own goals. Related: Digital gaslighting - making people think any harm is their own fault. https://axbom.com/confirmshaming/

Slide 26

HUMAN EXCLUSION Harm as a result of neglect, unwillingness or inability to consider how our creations affect people’s wellbeing, exclude them from participation or in other ways mislead.

Slide 27

ORGANISATION NAIVE RECKLESSNESS Harm as a result of sensitive information being managed in a way that helps a third party use it for purposes other than what the owners of the information have consented to, or realise they have consented to.

Slide 28

SOCIETY RAMPANT HARASSMENT Harm that happens as a selection of participants in a service harm others and the people responsible for the platform choose not to see or manage the conflict.

Slide 29

ENVIRONMENT SUPPLY CHAIN NEGLECT AND ECOLOGICAL NEGLECT Harm that takes place when organisations do not take responsibility for human welllbeing in the extended ecosystem required to develop or use a service or product.

Slide 30

MACHINE ALGORITHMIC INJUSTICE Harm happening as a result of automated decision systems are developed from a position of power and based on information that is biased or simply incorrect. Since algorithms work faster than humans, algorithmic injustice leads to more efficient execution of harmful decisions.

Slide 31

SOCIETY RULE OF QUANTITY This omnipresent state of mind implies that if something can not be measured it does not carry worth. And the assumption that if something can be measured, it is a clear indicator of worth.

Slide 32

GETTING HURT “BY COMPUTERS” IS NOT NEW

Slide 33

PEOPLE ARE BEING HURT BY COMPUTERS.

Slide 34

PEOPLE ARE BEING HURT BY COMPUTERS DESIGN.

Slide 35

PEOPLE ARE BEING HURT BY COMPUTERS DESIGN PEOPLE.

Slide 36

PEOPLE ARE BEING HURT BY COMPUTERS DESIGN PEOPLE. Invisibly Visibly

Slide 37

PEOPLE ARE BEING HURT BY COMPUTERS DESIGN PEOPLE. Invisibly Visibly

Slide 38

PEOPLE ARE BEING HURT BY COMPUTERS DESIGN PEOPLE. AI.

Slide 39

PEOPLE ARE BEING HURT BY COMPUTERS DESIGN PEOPLE. AI. . e l p o e p l l i t s s ’ t i , h Na

Slide 40

THE WEAKNESSES OF HUMAN REASONING WHY WE KEEP MAKING MODELS AND PROCESSES THAT THEN BITE US IN THE ASS

Slide 41

SYSTEM 2 5% 95% SYSTEM 1 RATIONAL THINKING INTUITION AND INSTINCT Takes effort Slow Logical Lazy Indecisive Unconscious Associative Fast Auto-pilot Popularised in Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

Slide 42

A HAMBURGER AND A SODA TOGETHER COST 22 SWISS FRANCS. THE HAMBURGER COSTS 20 FRANCS MORE THAN THE SODA. WHAT DOES THE SODA COST?

Slide 43

A HAMBURGER AND A SODA TOGETHER COST 22 SWISS FRANCS. 21 + 1 = 22 THE SODA COSTS 1 SWISS FRANC. THE HAMBURGER COSTS 20 FRANCS MORE THAN THAT (21).

Slide 44

Recognise your excuses for employing SYSTEM 1 IT LOOKS FINE IT IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR NOW IT IS NORMALLY OK, THERE IS NO NEED TO CHECK IT IS NOT MY/OUR RESPONSIBILITY WE ALWAYS DO IT THIS WAY THIS WAY IS QUICKER YOU DECIDE…

Slide 45

<INPUT TYPE=”RESET” VALUE=“CLEAR”> SUBMIT CLEAR

Slide 46

Slide 47

MODELS CAN BE USEFUL. BUT WE ALSO MUST ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THEY ARE ALL WRONG.

Slide 48

DESIGN INTRODUCES UNFAMILIARITY INTO AN EXISTING ECOSYSTEM. WE DESIGN TO MAKE THE SYSTEM WORK DIFFERENTLY THAN IT DID BEFORE.

Slide 49

Slide 50

Cancelled events Other infections/ diseases Mental health distress Domestic violence The systemic complexity of managing a pandemic Drug abuse version PA03 Financial distress Quarantine A Physical distancing If A increases then B increases Lockdown Vaccine) Virus spread Social unrest Health system overload Medical staff falling ill Number of infections False reporting Ignoring health advice B If A increases then B decreases Crime Handwashing Close gatherings A Lay-offs Market closures Population immunity B Number of deaths Examples of the factors at play when looking at how to mitigate spread of disease, and how they may affect one another. The idea is that each factor must be evaluated regularly to support reflective reasoning when making plans of action. Note! This is an example, not a complete picture. Racist attacks System map by Per Axbom April, 2020

Slide 51

NEGATING THE ORIGINAL PURPOSE Platforms designed to bring people closer together are creating more hate and division. Platforms designed to make people safer are putting people in harms way. Platforms designed to help people live healthier lives are giving people anxiety. Platforms designed for inspiration and fun are hurting mental wellbeing.

Slide 52

They say that if a butterfly flaps its wings in the Amazonian rain forest, it can change the weather half a world away. If a web designer changes a button, it can change wellbeing for millions of people across the world. CLEAR

Slide 53

WE WILL ALWAYS BE IN WORK SITUATIONS WHERE THERE IS RISK OF DECISIONS THAT ULTIMATELY HARM PEOPLE. THIS MEANS WE HAVE TO WORK PROACTIVELY TO MANAGE THE WEAKNESSES OF OUR DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES.

Slide 54

WHEN THERE IS SOMETHING BUILT THAT BENEFITS MANY PEOPLE IT CAN ALSO HARM OTHER PEOPLE AT THE SAME TIME.

Slide 55

Slide 56

Slide 57

Slide 58

Slide 59

Slide 60

Slide 61

Slide 62

THE DATA WE USE HARMS PEOPLE Black CIS-Men Hispanic CIS-Women White Asian

Slide 63

DATA IS RARELY “ANONYMOUS” Black CIS-Men Hispanic CIS-Women White Asian Transgender-men Transgender-women

Slide 64

“My transgender student’s legal name is showing on our online discussion board. How can I keep him from being outed to his classmates?” OUR SOURCE SYSTEMS ARE NOT ALWAYS HELPFUL https://alistapart.com/article/trans-inclusive-design/

Slide 65

SPEAKING OF NAMES PEOPLE HAVE EXACTLY ONE FULL NAME WHICH THEY GO BY. PEOPLE HAVE EXACTLY X NAMES, FOR ANY VALUE OF X. PEOPLE’S NAMES ARE WRITTEN IN ANY SINGLE CHARACTER SET. PEOPLE’S NAMES ARE NOT WRITTEN IN ALL CAPS. I CAN SAFELY ASSUME THAT A DICTIONARY OF BAD WORDS CONTAINS NO PEOPLE’S NAMES IN IT. NO MILLION PEOPLE SHARE THE SAME FULL NAME. PEOPLE HAVE NAMES. https://www.kalzumeus.com/2010/06/17/falsehoods-programmers-believe-about-names/

Slide 66

THE NULL FAMILY NAME Radiolab episode https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20160325-the-names-that-break-computer-systems

Slide 67

IF NULL THEN… IF “NULL” THEN…

Slide 68

MAYBE YOU COULD CHANGE YOUR NAME? A very real suggestion from an insurance company

Slide 69

Slide 70

IT IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR NOW

Slide 71

Slide 72

Slide 73

THOSE ARE JUST EDGECASES, NOT THE NORM WE’VE DONE WHAT WE CAN OTHERS ARE ALREADY DOING IT

Slide 74

THERE WAS AN OBVIOUS SPEAKING PARTNER WITH SUPERIOR KNOWLEDGE IN ALL THIS, LET’S HOPE THEY REACH OUT TO US…

Slide 75

MEANWHILE, ON THE INTERNET

Slide 76

Slide 77

AT LEAST ROB CAN FIND HIS KEYS

Slide 78

Slide 79

Slide 80

Slide 81

Slide 82

NEW SERVICES AND APPS PROVIDE A REMOTE CONTROL FOR ABUSE. EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO POLICE. ONE MAIN ACCOUNT OWNER. CAN CONTINUE LONG AFTER PEOPLE “LEAVE” A RELATIONSHIP.

Slide 83

PASSWORDS DO NOT KEEP THINGS PRIVATE. OWNING A DEVICE DOESN’T KEEP OTHERS FROM USING IT.

Slide 84

AS THE MAKERS OF DIGITAL SERVICES AND PRODUCTS, WE NEED TOOLS AND MAPS TO MANAGE AND MITIGATE OUR OWN WEAKNESSES THESE PROBLEMS ARE SOLVABLE

Slide 85

Obvious potential for negative impact

Slide 86

Obvious potential for negative impact Negative impact only discovered after it happens

Slide 87

Obvious potential for negative impact Negative impact predicted by speculative, systematic reasoning and strategic foresight Negative impact only discovered after it happens

Slide 88

Obvious potential for negative impact Negative impact predicted by speculative, systematic reasoning and strategic foresight Negative impact predicted by involving more people with relevant experience Negative impact only discovered after it happens

Slide 89

IMPACT CARDS Who? ▢ ▢ ▢ ▢ ▢ ▢ ▢ ▢ ▢ ▢ ▢ ▢ Ability divergent Age disfavored Appearance disfavored Crime/diﬆress endurer Ethnic minority Faith disfavored Gender disfavored Illness endurer Non-citizen Racism endurer Social class disfavored Sexuality disfavored What? ▢ ▢ ▢ ▢ ▢ ▢ ▢ ▢ ▢ ▢ ▢ Environment Eﬆeem Finance Health Privacy Relationships Safety Self-actualization Self-worth Social belonging How? ▢ ▢ ▢ ▢ ▢ ▢ ▢ ▢ ▢ ▢ ▢ Dangerous defaults False assumptions False expectations Excluded by design External pressure Lack of choice Lack of knowledge Lack of underﬆanding Sensory overload Time conﬆraints version 0.9 of the cards

Slide 90

STORYMAPPING 4. CLIMAX 1. PERSON 2. GOAL/PROBLEM 5. GAIN 3. ENCOUNTER Design/solution/product

Slide 91

MAPPING THE OTHER STORY 4. CLIMAX/CRISIS 1. PERSON 2. GOAL/PROBLEM 5. IMPACT/GAIN/LOSS 3. ENCOUNTER Design/solution/product

Slide 92

STORYMAPPING 36 yo developer Tries out exposure exercises 4. CLIMAX

PERSON social anxiety 2. GOAL/PROBLEM Makes a new friend AI therapist app 3. ENCOUNTER Design/solution/product
GAIN

Slide 93

MAPPING THE OTHER STORY Unloads on the AI therapist Child 4. CLIMAX/CRISIS

PERSON Never helped Abusive parents 2. GOAL/PROBLEM AI therapist app
ENCOUNTER Design/solution/product
IMPACT/GAIN/LOSS

Slide 94

INCLUSIVE PANDA

Slide 95

INCLUSIVE PANDA (non-participants) excluded unwanted participants risk zone included risk-zone negative impact

Slide 96

INCLUSIVE PANDA (non-participants) excluded unwanted participants risk zone included risk-zone negative impact Use to understand effects on other people than the target group.

Slide 97

IMPACT MAPPING Who? people who want to protect their identity How bad/severe is the potential outcome? How much do we contribute through what we build? How likely is it to happen? How disadvantaged are the people affected? abusers/attackers find them and hurt them What?

Slide 98

IMPACT MAPPING Who? people who want to protect their identity abusers/attackers find them and hurt them What? d n a How bad/severe is the st r e d n potential outcome? u n o i s t e a i t s i i v n i a t c g r a How much do we contribute o e r s i u t i r through what we build? lp yo o i r e p h d o n t a e t s c U a p How likely is it to happen? im How disadvantaged are the people affected?

Slide 99

Tarot cards of Tech http://tarotcardsoftech.artefactgroup.com

Slide 100

FRICTION Force considered decisions

Slide 101

FRICTION Prevent misuse / abuse

Slide 102

FRICTION You will find the password by reading the welcome information carefully. g in g g lo r fo d r o w s s a p e th d n fi In this film you will r u o Y . s r te c a r a h c ll a m s 5 , in to the booking system . il a -m e n o ti a m r fi n o c e th in username is Code of conduct explained whilst giving out one letter of the password every thirty seconds.

Slide 103

PRE-SCRIPTING We need to do this. ALTERNATIVE PATHS ADDICTIVE CYCLES THE OTHER STORY Hang on, I’m concerned about the impact of this decision. Maybe you have the answer. SHORT TERM / LONG TERM COST CONSIDERATION REPUTATION AND TRUST

Slide 104

Everywhere Can often be anticipated if you know where/when they tend to show up ETHICAL DILEMMAS ARE LIKE BIRDS Varied Guides and tools can help Easier to spot in groups Concentrated in particular environments Noticed by people who are in the habit of looking for them https://www.scu.edu/ethics/focus-areas/technology-ethics/ Difficult to spot

Slide 105

https://www.scu.edu/ethics/focus-areas/technology-ethics/ GET INTO THE HABIT OF LOOKING FOR THEM!

Slide 106

Who is in the room and making the decisions? Am I sure the design pattern that worked over there also works here? Do we really need to ask for this data? What faulty assumptions are we making? Instead of making decisions FOR people, how could we actually build something differently to support people in exercising their autonomy and self-determination, to activate system 2 thinking? Am I inside an environment that supports ethical reasoning? Who do we need to talk to? https://www.scu.edu/ethics/focus-areas/technology-ethics/ GET INTO THE HABIT OF LOOKING FOR THEM!

Slide 107

ETHICAL DESIGN IS NOT ABOUT STOPPING TECHNICAL INNOVATION. IT’S ABOUT INFLUENCING ITS DIRECTION. (WITH BETTER MAPS AND INDICATORS) harmful to many harmful to some promotes wellbeing harmful to some harmful to many

Slide 108

Slide 109

PREDICTION:

Slide 110

ALL COMPANIES WILL BE OUTPERFORMED BY A MORE ETHICAL VERSION CATERING TO THE EXACT SAME NEEDS.

Slide 111

ALL COMPANIES WILL BE OUTPERFORMED BY A MORE ETHICAL VERSION CATERING TO THE EXACT SAME NEEDS. ARE YOU DOING YOUR BEST WORK?

Slide 112

PER AXBOM axbom.com axbom.com/frontzurich d n a s k n i l S lides, s e c n e r ref e d n i k e b o t r e b m e Rem f l e s r u o y to !