AI Ethics beyond Principles: Strengthening the Life-world Perspective.

Stefan Heuser, Jochen Steil, Sabine Salloch
Author Information
  1. Stefan Heuser: Institute for Protestant Theology and Religious Education, Technische Universit��t Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany.
  2. Jochen Steil: Institute for Robotics and Process Control, Technische Universit��t Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany.
  3. Sabine Salloch: Hannover Medical School, Institute for Ethics, History and Philosophy of Medicine, Hannover, Germany. salloch.sabine@mh-hannover.de. ORCID

Abstract

The search for ethical guidance in the development of artificial intelligence (AI) systems, especially in healthcare and decision support, remains a crucial effort. So far, principles usually serve as the main reference points to achieve ethically correct implementations. Based on reviewing classical criticism of principle-based ethics and taking into account the severity and potentially life-changing relevance of decisions assisted by AI-driven systems, we argue for strengthening a complementary perspective that focuses on the life-world as ensembles of practices which shape people's lives. This perspective focuses on the notion of ethical judgment sensitive to life forms, arguing that principles alone do not guarantee ethicality in a moral world that is rather a joint construction of reality than a matter of mere control. We conclude that it is essential to support and supplement the implementation of moral principles in the development of AI systems for decision-making in healthcare by recognizing the normative relevance of life forms and practices in ethical judgment.

Keywords

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MeSH Term

Humans
Artificial Intelligence
Morals
Judgment
Decision Making
Principle-Based Ethics
Delivery of Health Care
Life

Word Cloud

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