How Factoring Ethics Encourages and Stimulates Innovative Development of IT Systems Responsive to Stakeholder Needs and Requirements

Abstract

Human beings have become increasingly dependent on IT in running their daily lives and doing business. The development and the increase in use of Autonomous Intelligent Systems in the last few years is making it increasingly impossible to ignore ethics in engineering and building IT Systems as more factors other than the traditional ones like financials come into play. As the use of technology continues to grow among people of all ages, there is also a growing awareness of the potential social harms such systems can have on human well being. Where there is such an awareness (of potential harms the systems may have on humans), there is a likelihood of resistance in adoption and use of the technology resulting in the loss of the benefits such systems are supposed to bring with them. Where potential harms have been ignored and people went ahead and adopted and used the technology, but eventually experienced cases of social harm, possible abandonment of the technology becomes a reality - a situation which also results in the loss of all the gains the technology could have potentially brought. Some good examples are societies which continue to keep under-aged children away from technology as a way of safeguarding them from the harms caused by technology. Situations like this have set limits to the effectiveness and reach of technology driven services such as autonomous eHealth systems and even educational programmes.There has also been a view mainly among technology creators that Ethics considerations are slowing down or getting into the way of innovation. In the proposed chapter, and driven by the theme “Ethics Considerations to drive innovative thinking in building systems which are responsive to the needs of the user and promote adoption, and safe use of IT” the writer argues for a unified front in the development of IT systems in an ethical manner - That is, it is time users and creators of technology start working together to build systems for the future. And with well-being among the UN Development Goals, and technology taking centre stage in many aspects of development and growth, Ethics in technology cannot be ignored.