ELEC4011 Ethics & Electrical Engineering Practice Hugh Outhred Lecture 5: Engineering as Social Experimentation I (Chapter 3, Martin & Schinzinger, ‘Ethics in Engineering) ELEC4011 Ethics & Electrical Engineering Practice Hugh Outhred

ELEC4011 - Lecture5: Eng'g as social experimentation Introduction Objective: Relate ethical theories to engineering practice A useful perspective: View engineering activities as social experiments: Engineers create experimental situations through innovation Society participates in these experiments as subjects Uncertainty about outcomes implies risk: Important to identify & quantify risks where possible Decision makers may make biased decisions unless accountable for (uncertain) outcomes ELEC4011 - Lecture5: Eng'g as social experimentation

Roles of experimenter & subject Ethical issues for engineers as experimenters: Duties to experimental subjects Rights of experimental subjects Assessment of costs & benefits of the experiment Relationship between experimenter & subject: Legal framework: Legal obligations on experimenter, but these may not address innovative situations Codes of ethics: Primary responsibility lies with the experimenter ELEC4011 - Lecture5: Eng'g as social experimentation

The Engineering Process Concept Engineering: Design Produce Install Operate Corporate context: Time pressure Cost pressure Secrecy Intended outcomes: User satisfaction Company profits Unintended outcomes External context: Uncertainty Legal framework Social impacts Environmental impacts ELEC4011 - Lecture5: Eng'g as social experimentation

ELEC4011 - Lecture5: Eng'g as social experimentation Examples Computers: Developed & adopted over about three decades Significant impacts on society: Not well understood or nor always predicted, e.g: The Y2K bug However largely accepted as a positive technology Nuclear power stations Not well understood nor always predicted, eg. Chernobyl Widespread concern & installed capacity in decline ELEC4011 - Lecture5: Eng'g as social experimentation

Experimental attributes of engineering Incomplete understanding of implications: Insufficient time or money Commercial advantage (desire for secrecy) Uncertainty about impacts (sometimes unknowable) Participation of experimental subjects: Products or services often target non-engineers Subjects share responsibility if voluntarily accept risk Reasons for monitoring outcomes: Commercial purposes (e.g. product improvement) Precautionary purposes (e.g. manage risk) ELEC4011 - Lecture5: Eng'g as social experimentation

Nature of subjects & impacts Individual consumers, groups or society as a whole: Those who can make informed choices, and Those requiring advocates: Disadvantaged, future generations, other species & the environment Impacts: Health, safety & the environment Changes to social structure & social status: Income & wealth distribution Lifestyles & personal empowerment Education, culture ELEC4011 - Lecture5: Eng'g as social experimentation

Features of engineering experiments Absence of a ‘control group’ ( equivalent non-participants): Products & services usually offered to all Benefits may such that they can’t be withheld from a particular group Society may have little prior understanding: Innovative products & services Uncertainty in future impacts (positive or negative) Informed judgements are difficult to make: For both experimenter and subject ELEC4011 - Lecture5: Eng'g as social experimentation

ELEC4011 - Lecture5: Eng'g as social experimentation Informed consent Stakeholders: Experimental subjects, experimenters, others who can affect the outcome, or may be affected by it Stakeholders have a right to informed consent: A voluntary & conscious decision made on the basis of all relevant information Issues: Identification of stakeholders (present & future) Adequacy of information Decision making opportunity & capability ELEC4011 - Lecture5: Eng'g as social experimentation

Issues for ‘informed consent’ Voluntary participation not always possible, eg: Technology that has widespread effects on the public: For example, the Y2K bug Future generations or citizens of other countries Stakeholders may be hard to identify, eg: Those affected by the Chernobyl nuclear accident Proxy group can represent unknown stakeholders: Adequate diversity & information Adequate decision making competence Strongly differing opinions may hamper consensus ELEC4011 - Lecture5: Eng'g as social experimentation

ELEC4011 - Lecture5: Eng'g as social experimentation Current examples Consideration of an Australian Republic: Constitutional convention, referendum Introduction of genetically modified (GM) foods: Companies have not always revealed GM ingredients Legal requirements under development Electromagnetic radiation from cellular phones: Some companies provide information, headphones Telephone caller ID: Defaults ‘on’ but ‘off’ would allow informed consent ELEC4011 - Lecture5: Eng'g as social experimentation

ELEC4011 - Lecture5: Eng'g as social experimentation Summary Engineering is a form of social experimentation: Innovation with social & environmental impacts Uncertainty & risk in outcomes Stakeholders have a right to informed consent: Information, opportunity, decision making capability Problems in implementation: Lack of a control group & corporate pressures Difficulty in identifying stakeholders Irreducible uncertainty ELEC4011 - Lecture5: Eng'g as social experimentation