Tuesday, June 23, 2020

The Oxford Handbook of Ethics of AI

The Oxford Handbook of Ethics of AI (Oxford University Press, June 2020) tackles a quickly-evolving field of inquiry, mapping the existing discourse as part of a general attempt to place current developments in historical context; at the same time, breaking new ground in taking on novel subjects and pursuing fresh approaches.

The book is edited by Law Professor Markus D. Dubber; Dr. Sunit Das, a neurosurgeon at Toronto's St. Michael's Hospital and neuroscientist in the Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science (University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine); and Professor Frank Pasquale, University of Maryland, Francis King Carey School of Law.

The term "AI" is used to refer to a broad range of phenomena, from machine learning and data mining to artificial general intelligence. The recent advent of more sophisticated AI systems, which function with partial or full autonomy and are capable of tasks which require learning and 'intelligence', presents difficult ethical questions, and has drawn concerns from many quarters about individual and societal welfare, democratic decision-making, moral agency, and the prevention of harm. 

Professor Dubber leads an interdisciplinary initiative, "Ethics of AI in Context," as director of the University of Toronto's Centre for Ethics, which facilitates collaboration among a diverse group of university and non-university scholars and researchers from a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives.

He also has extensive editorial experience, including as co-editor of several Oxford Handbooks and editor-in-chief of Oxford Handbooks Online (Law).

Read Professor Dubber's interview with Arts & Science News