Designing a Value-Driven Future for Ethical Autonomous and Intelligent Systems

Codes of ethics provide a critical foundation for an organization to define the tenets that best reflect their values. These codes provide a touchstone for employees to follow that establishes trust between an organization and their customers and key stakeholders. The rapid acceleration of autonomous and intelligent systems (A/IS) has created an imperative for technologists to complement these codes with new methodologies focused on the widespread implementation of ethical considerations in all levels of design and manufacture. This paper describes IEEE's work in this arena, including the IEEE Global Initiative on Ethics of Autonomous and Intelligent Systems, the IEEE TechEthics program, the IEEE P7000 Standards Series focused on A/IS issues, Digital Inclusion through Trust and Agency, and the ongoing work of the IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology. This paper also includes a table of approximately 50 activities within the IEEE related to ethics.