Learning Goals

• Define “emerging technology” (ET)
• Explain the present (and potential future) impact of ET on society
• Describe ethical challenges related to emerging technology

Summary of the Chapter

This chapter illustrates emerging technologies, their impact on society, and potential ethical problems associated with them. As technology improves, we must consider that how we use technology affects ourselves, our communities, and the planet. Failure to address the ethical implications of technology can lead to undesirable and catastrophic outcomes. We must consider how technology will affect both living and non-living creatures.

The context of an emerging technology explains that these technologies are novel, innovative, and yet in the early stages of development. The term “emerging” technology does not necessarily imply that all such advancements are novel or innovative in and of themselves. Some have been around for years, or in various versions, for decades.

As these new technologies gain more autonomy, they raise many ethical concerns. We must try to limit risks and plan for the ethical difficulties of emerging technologies. The way we approach the rules of developing technologies and the regulations and laws put in place to govern them will have far-reaching implications for security and ethics. Some innovations may proceed without governmental support, but good authority, risk assessments, and ethical considerations must always be considered.

Considerations for Lesson Planning

Ethics discussions require that learners recognize the multiple perspectives of potential stakeholders such that they can empathize and identify potential issues. In many cases, beginning the discussion about emerging technologies and ethics can be as simple as asking about learners’ preferences for privacy or as complex as questioning who (or which body) holds rights to data that is willingly shared on social media. When organizing lessons for ethics discussions, consider using real-world headlines about Facebook/Meta or other sharing sources (e.g., downloading music from sharing services or purchasing access to music through Apple or Spotify).

It is usually more effective to begin ethics discussions with contexts that learners are likely to have experienced rather than launching directly into broad-scale questions about implications for emerging technologies.

Consider, for example, asking learners to work in pairs/teams to investigate current or prospective uses of blockchain, augmented/virtual reality, and the like. Have the learners create documentation (tables, lists, etc.) where they identify the potential impacts to stakeholders and ask them to consider the implications if something goes wrong. Most simply, ask learners to identify “what if” scenarios and then respond to those scenarios by determining how the outcomes would impact the stakeholders.

Assessment Strategies

One of the more engaging ways to assess students on their understanding of ethics and emerging technologies is to engage them in debate. Divide students into groups of 2 or 4 members and have each “side” argue the ethical implications of the emerging technology under investigation.

Other options for assessment include discussion boards (if using a learning management system such as Blackboard, D2L Brightspace, etc.), argumentative essays, and reflection writing where students consider how their lives might be impacted by unethical uses of a technology.

Inviting a legal expert or ethicist to a discussion would also be an option for those who have the opportunity to engage such professionals.

Suggested Resources

N. Al-Rodhan, “The Many Ethical Implications of Emerging Technologies, , [March 13, 2015], “Scientific American, https://www.weforum.org/ [Accessed January 01, 2022]. 

Digital Skill Up (sk://up), “How Will Emerging Technologies Impact the Future of Business and Services for Citizens?” (Nov. 03, 2021), https://www.digitalskillup.eu/articles/how-emerging-technologies-impact/  [Accessed February 22, 2022].

F. Guterl, “What Impact Will Emerging Technologies Have on Society?” (Nov. 10, 2014), Scientific American, https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/what-impact-will-emerging-technologies-have-on-society/ [Accessed Feb. 22, 2022].

J. Hallman, “The Ethics of Emerging Technologies,” [April 9, 2019], Penn State News, https://news.psu.edu/story/568149/2019/04/09/research/ethics-emerging-technologies [Accessed January 1, 2022].

S. O. Hansson, ed. The Ethics of Technology: Methods and Approaches. Rowman & Littlefield, 2017.

M. Luo, “Computer Code”, [March 23, 2020], Unsplash [online]. Accessed: Nov. 25, 2021.

M. Marks, “Suicide Prevention Technology is Revolutionary. It Badly Needs Oversight”, [December 20, 2018],The Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com [Accessed January 01, 2022].