Ethical Computing

The rapid pace of technological development has made us all more reliant on computing, either directly or indirectly. However, to keep up with the speed, ethical considerations during the development and use of technology often fall short. These shortcuts result in severe ethical issues that have far-reaching impacts across all sectors of society. Examples are misuse of personal information, misinformation and deep fakes, lack of oversight and acceptance of responsibility, the definition of consent, use of AI, privacy and security management, and responsible adoption of disruptive technology.

To reach a turning point, we aim to combine researchers with a variety of skills, interests, and perspectives to tackle ethical challenges collectively and prevent harm before it is done. Each sector is attempting to address the problems alone and in isolation. We will bring together expertise from across the university to address ethical issues that arise through technology, providing guidance both locally and internationally.

Our vision is to address a broader set of questions essential to society in Aotearoa using a transdisciplinary approach. In this project, we strive to answer questions such as:

• How can we create awareness among the population and developers of ethical issues?
• How will ethics be embedded in the design of new systems?
• How can we ensure that emerging and sensitive technologies will be used only for good?
• How do we balance the computing power that we now need with caring for the environment?
• How do we know and what can we do if algorithms are hiding information from us?
• How do we educate the future workforce to have the skills they will need for future jobs?
• How do we maintain a work-life balance when receiving notifications on our phones day and night?

By addressing these questions and promoting ethical computing, we believe we can create a brighter and more sustainable technological future. Join us in our mission to ensure the “human” aspect does not fall short in these rapidly evolving times.