Ethics in Tech: Engineers' Responsibility in a Dual-Use Technological Era

Randall Thomas addresses the ethical dilemmas that engineers and technologists face in an era where the tools and software they create can have unintended consequences, often significant. His keynote emphasizes the dual-use nature of technology, drawing parallels with hammers that can build or destroy. He refers to examples like AI deepfakes affecting democratic elections or facial recognition software leading to wrongful convictions. The talk covers moral injury in the tech field, the challenges of self-regulation, government oversight, and the systemic issues that inhibit ethical progress in technology. Thomas reflects on the need for an ethical grounding similar to the Hippocratic Oath in medicine, challenging the audience to consider the moral weight of their work. He underscores the need for greater inclusion in beneficially utilizing technology to avoid scenarios where technology exacerbates unequal power dynamics and zero-sum outcomes.