ETHICS AND SOCIETAL IMPACT

QUESTIONS WORTH ASKING YOURSELF REGULARLY Would I be comfortable explaining exactly what this system does to the people it affects? Would I use it if I were on the receiving end? Is there anything I know about its weaknesses that I have not yet told anyone? Honest answers to these questions will guide you better than any rulebook. STAYING HUMBLE AND CURIOUS The field is new, the technology changes quickly, and no one has all the answers. Stay curious about how your systems affect real people, listen to criticism, and update your practice when you learn something. Humility is a professional strength, since it keeps you testing, checking, and improving. LOOKING AHEAD The ethical questions around agents will keep changing as the technology spreads. New uses will appear that nobody planned for, and old questions will return in new forms. The habits in this chapter do not depend on any one tool: think about everyone affected, tell the truth about capabilities, protect privacy, keep humans in charge of serious decisions, and be ready to speak up. If you carry these habits through your career, you will be well prepared for questions that have not been asked yet.