An Approach Based in Eastern Philosophy to Identify Ethical Issues in Early Stages of AI for Earth Observation Research
Abstract: AI and Machine Learning models have been used in Earth Observation (EO) and Remote Sensing (RS) research (“AI4EO research”) for decades to study and analyze the petabytes of data that would otherwise be almost impossible to process and understand. Ethical issues are taking center stage in this field of research as the resolution of EO/RS data increases rapidly, as newer sources of data are fused to achieve better results at lower costs and greater speeds, and newer use cases of AI4EO research emerge. Nevertheless, not all ethical issues can be identified in the present – partly because of rapid technological evolution and almost blind focus on innovation as an end in itself, and partly because of uncertainties inherent in AI4EO research methods, analysis, and results. Real-world applications of research findings also give rise to uncertainties vis-à-vis ethical impact. Recent academic research and surveys conducted by the author suggest that AI ethics guidelines are not practically useful for many AI(4EO) researchers. Yet, ethically mindful choices at the early stages of research can help in conceiving, designing, and regulating AI, and in developing applications that are more acceptable to the global community. This paper recommends a novel approach to identifying and avoiding ethical issues in the early stages of AI(4EO) research, based on a combination of Eastern and Western philosophical thought. More specifically, it explores the imagery associated with Skanda, a mythological figure that appears in both Indian (Hindu) and Tibetan (Buddhist) philosophies to develop and implement a novel approach to ethical decision-making. This approach can be especially useful for scientists engaged in research and innovation with emerging technologies. Using a concrete example from AI4EO, the paper also describes a step-wise process and questionnaire based on this approach that can help researchers identify major ethical issues and opportunities in the early stages of their research.
Author bio: Mrinalini Kochupillai (Nalini) is a guest professor and core scientist at the Artificial Intelligence for Earth Observation (AI4EO) Future Lab at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), where she leads the ethics working group. She is also a faculty member at the Munich Intellectual Property Law Center (MIPLC) and an affiliated senior researcher at the Institute for Ethics in Artificial Intelligence (IEAI), TUM. Nalini has been a senior research fellow with the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition (2014-2018), and with the Chair for Business Ethics, TUM (2018-2019). She has also been a Program Director (2014-2017) at the MIPLC, and an adjunct faculty at the EU Business School, Munich. She has over 15 years of experience in teaching and research in the field of business law, business ethics, intellectual property (patent) law, plant variety protection, and Incentive systems for sustainable innovations. Nalini obtained her B.A. LL.B (Hons.) degree from the National Law Institute University, Bhopal and an LL.M. in Intellectual Property, Commerce & Technology from the University of New Hampshire. She completed her Ph.D. at the Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU), Munich as a full scholar and fellow of the International Max Planck Research School for Competition and Innovation (2009-13).
Recorded Presentation | 28 April 2023
#Values #Ethics #RelationalApproaches #India #Tibet
