The responsible use of tracing apps has currently shaped the public debate on how to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Accordingly, the use of personal data must be not only legally acceptable but also ethically justifiable for society. In the second edition of our “AI&I” vTalk, Luciano Floridi, Professor of Philosophy and Information Ethics at the University of Oxford, talked about the ethical principles of a digital society in the context of the pandemic.
On Tuesday, May 12th, 2020 from 5:00 p.m. CET, the seventh edition of the “AI&I” dialogue series took place on our YouTube channel, where users were able to join the discussion with Luciano Floridi to ask him questions interactively via chat.
Watch the “AI&I” virtual talk
Moderated by Alexander Görlach, who has joined the discussion from New York, Luciano Floridi talked about the trust of European citizens in the use of mobile tracing applications. The conversation centred around the question of how citizens’ confidence can be fortified in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, which ethical principles state, business and science are subject to in the fight against the virus.
Luciano Floridiis the OII’s Professor of Philosophy and Ethics of Information at the University of Oxford, where he is also the Director of the Digital Ethics Lab of the Oxford Internet Institute. He is Distinguished Research Fellow of the Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics of the Faculty of Philosophy and Research Associate and Fellow in Information Policy of the Department of Computer Science. His research primarily concerns information and digital ethics, the philosophy of information, and the philosophy of technology. In April of 2020, he published ethical guidelines for SARS-Cov-2 digital tracing systems, in which he presents a framework for the ethical and legal evaluation and responsible use of digital systems for tracing potentially infected individuals.
Watch other discussions from the “AI&I” event series
The Vodafone Institute launched the “AI&I“ series of events in Berlin in 2018 to create a platform for a constructive, interdisciplinary dialogue on the effects of artificial intelligence on our society and economy. To stimulate a diverse debate and inform decision-makers, we have already discussed with renowned researchers such as Vinton G. Cerf, Pascal Finette, Nuria Oliver, Sir Martin Rees, Sir Nigel Shadbolt and lastly with Taiwan’s Digital Minister Audrey Tang. Finally, Luciano Floridi has previously been part of the event series, talking about ethical aspects of artificial intelligence.