Call for Participation
Ethical Guidance for Research and Application of
Pervasive and Autonomous Information Technology (PAIT)
March 3-4, 2010, Cincinnati, Ohio
Made possible by the National Science Foundation
(grant number SES-0848097), Indiana University's
Poynter Center for the Study of Ethics and
American Institutions and the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics
This two-day workshop will convene an
international meeting of experts in PAIT,
ethicists well versed in practical ethics, and other stakeholders.
Rationale. Technologies are being developed
today using very small, relatively inexpensive,
wireless-enabled computers and autonomous robots
that will most likely result in the
near-omnipresence of information gathering and
processing devices embedded in clothing,
appliances, carpets, food packaging, doors and
windows, paperback books, and other everyday
items to gather data about when and how (and
possibly by whom) an item is used. The data can
be analyzed, stored, and shared via the
Internet. Some of these pervasive technologies
will also be autonomous, making decisions on
their own about what data to gather and share,
which actions to take (sound an alarm, lock a door), and the like.
The potential benefits of pervasive and
autonomous information technology (PAIT) are
many and varied, sometimes obvious, sometimes
obscure, as are the ethical implications of
their development and deployment. The history of
information technology suggests that
long-standing issues including usability,
privacy, and security, among others, as well as
relatively new phenomena such as ethically blind
autonomous systems, are best addressed early
enough to become part of the culture of
researchers and engineers responsible for
identifying needs and designing solutions.
Key Areas. The PAIT Workshop Planning Committee
has initially identified the following key areas for discussion:
health and wellness (health monitoring, elder care, nagware)
everyday life (GIS, cell phones, PAIT in the home and car and on the body)
situations of limited human autonomy (in
hospitals, the justice system, schools, the workplace)
autonomous systems and robots
Likely cross-cutting themes
Law and policy
International issues
Access and the digital divide
Uses of data beyond original intent (repurposing) and data aggregation
Informed consent, transparency (end-users'
knowing the technology is in use and what it is
doing), voluntary and involuntary use of data, the ability to "opt out"
Privacy, data security, anonymity
Managing data (lots of user interface questions here)
Balance of power among various stakeholders
(parents/kids, elders/adult children, patient/provider, employee/boss, etc?.)
Malicious uses, covert uses, surveillance, espionage
Workshop Format. This working meeting will
feature discussions of previously-prepared case
studies describing actual and anticipated uses
of PAIT, invited presentations on key issues,
working groups to identify and categorize
ethical concerns, and other activities aimed at
community-building and formulating ethical
principles and other resources that will help
researchers and designers of such systems
recognize and address ethical issues at every
stage, from design to deployment to obsolescence.
Results of the workshop will be published in
journals and in one or more books, presented at
academic and industry conferences, and distributed via the Internet.
A limited number of travel subsidies are
available for members of underrepresented groups in science and engineering.
Registration. The workshop registration form,
travel subsidy policy, and travel subsidy
application form can be found at
<http://poynter.indiana.edu/pait/registration.shtml>http://poynter.indiana.edu/pait/registration.shtml.
Please note that space at the workshop is
limited. If the number of registrations exceeds
expectations, we reserve the right to select
among registrants to ensure balance. Please do
not make travel plans until you have received confirmation of acceptance.
For more information see
<http://poynter.indiana.edu/pait/>http://poynter.indiana.edu/pait/
or get in touch with Glenda Murray, Poynter
Center, Indiana University, 618 East Third
Street, Bloomington IN 47405-3602; (812)
855-0262; FAX: 855-3315;
<(glmurray /at/ indiana.htm)>(glmurray /at/ indiana.edu)
<mailto:(glmurray /at/ indiana.edu)?subject=PAIT%20Call%20for%20Participation> .
Prospective participants are encouraged to
consider registering for and attending the
annual meeting of the Association for Practical
and Professional Ethics immediately following
the PAIT workshop, March 5-7, 2010, at the same
hotel. The Association's keynote address will be
delivered by Marc Rotenberg, Executive Director
of the Electronic Privacy Information Center in
Washington, D.C. at 8:30 am, Friday, March 5,
and a mini-conference on?Engineering Towards a
More Just and Sustainable World? will be held
Saturday afternoon, March 6 through Sunday,
March 7, 2010, at noon.
See<http://www.indiana.edu/~appe/annualmeeting.html>http://www.indiana.edu/~appe/annualmeeting.html
for details.
