Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Assignment 1 Sem 2 2021
Assignment 1 Sem 2 2021
INDIVIDUAL WORK
You are required to answer all questions. Answers should be written in paragraph forms with evidence
and support or quotes and examples if needed. Do not repeat questions in your answer sheet. Use your
own words and do proper referencing when using others material. Assignments are to be uploaded in
Moodle by the due date. Please note the University Plagiarism policy and anyone not adhering to it will
be penalized.
Discuss what is self-serving bias. Imagine your supervisor in your workplace possesses those
traits. In what ways can that have an impact on you and your colleagues’ career and
professional development? What would the workplace be like? What impact can that have on
the company’s performance? What measures can a company put in place to protect itself from
negative impact of self-serving bias on the part of supervisors/managers? How will you as an
employee and subordinate staff of the manager deal with that situation? How will you avoid
getting swayed away in picking up, harnessing or collaborating with individuals with those
characteristics so that your decision making in every aspect remains ethical?
You are to do wider reading to understand the topic. Plan out your essay in detail, the
questions posed will lead you into thinking and are only a guide. You can elaborate more and
include other relevant points. The essay needs to be about 800-1000 words well written in your
own words, be of good academic standard , demonstrating in-depth understanding and
developing an approach for yourself. Go to the detail in terms of discussion and arguments.
Sources used will need to properly referenced.
Question 2: Case Study (12 marks)
Read the article below and answer the questions that follow. Use your own words.
CompTIA
5 Ethical Issues in Technology to Watch for in 2021
July 01, 2021 | By Ashley Watters
Ethics certainly creates a buzz in the business world. Ethical issues such as how we treat others, use
information, engage with employees, manage resources, approach sustainability, and impact the world
around us all affect how we view companies. In fact, the inappropriate treatment of people and the
communities we live in are often the subject of scrutiny and can signal the difference between business
success or failure. That’s why businesses (even tech giants such as Microsoft) often strive for ethical
decision making and practices.
Personal information is the new gold, as the saying goes. We have commoditized data because of the
value it provides to businesses attempting to reach their consumer base. But when does it go too far?
For businesses, it’s extremely valuable to know what kind of products are being searched for and what
type of content people are consuming the most. For political figures, it’s important to know what kind of
social or legal issues are getting the most attention. These valuable data points are often exploited so
that businesses or entities can make money or advance their goals. Facebook in particular has come
under fire several times over the years for selling personal data it gathers on its platform.
In contrast to how information was accessed prior to the internet, we are constantly flooded with real-
time events and news as it breaks. Celebrities and political figures can disseminate opinions on social
media without fact checking, which is then aggregated and further spread despite its accuracy—or
inaccuracy. Information no longer undergoes the strenuous validation process that we formerly used to
publish newspapers and books.
Similarly, we used to believe that video told a story that was undeniably rooted in truth. But deepfake
technology now allows such a sophisticated manipulation of digital imagery that people appear to be
saying and doing things that never happened. The potential for privacy invasion and misuse of identity is
very high with the use of this technology.
Similarly, many experts lobby for a global approach to governance, arguing that local policing is resulting
in fractured policy making and a widespread mismanagement of data. Similar to climate change, we
need to band together if we truly want to see improvement.
Use of AI
Artificial intelligence certainly offers great business potential. But, at what point do AI systems cross an
ethical line into dangerous territory?
Facial recognition: Use of software to find individuals can quickly become a less-than-ethical
problem. According to the NY Times, there are various concerns about facial recognition, such as
misuse, racial bias and restriction of personal freedoms. The ability to track movements and
activity quickly morphs into a lack of privacy. Facial recognition also isn’t foolproof and can
create bias in certain situations.
Health tracking: The pandemic brought contact tracing into the mainstream. Is it ethical to track
the health status of people and how will that impact the limitations we place on them?
Bias in AI technology: Technology is built by programmers and inherits the bias of its creators
because humans inherently have bias. “Technology is inherently flawed. Does it even matter
who developed the algorithms? AI systems learn to make decisions based on training and coding
data, which can be tainted by human bias or reflect historical or social inequities,” according to
Forbes. Leading AI developer Google has even experienced an issue where AI software believes
male nurses and female historians do not exist.
Autonomous Technology
Self-driving cars, robotic weapons and drones for service are no longer a thing of the future—they’re a
thing of the present and they come with ethical dilemmas. Robotic machines in place of human soldiers
is a very real possibility, along with self-driving cars and package delivery via unmanned drone.
Autonomous technology packs a punch when it comes to business potential, but there is significant
concern that comes with allowing programmed technology to operate seemingly without needed
oversight. It’s a frequently mentioned ethical concern that we trust our technology too much without
fully understanding it.
Health tracking and the digital twin dilemma: Should organizations be able to create your twin in
code and experiment on it to advance healthcare initiatives? And when does that become a
practice of exploitation?
Neurotechnology and privacy: Neurotechnology is nothing new, but new advances allowing the
use of technology to gradually change behavior or thought patterns poses severe questions
about privacy.
Genetic engineering: While possessing great potential for human health and the recovery from
damaging genetic mutations, there are considerable ethical considerations that surround the
editing of the human genome.
Weaponization of technology: While there is a lessened chance for loss of life, there are sincere
ethical problems with weaponizing technology. At what point do we trust our technology to
fight a war for us?
Ethical decisions in technology should not be taken lightly. If we believe that technology can help to
solve the world’s problems, addressing the ethics involved is the only way to us get there.
Questions