New Foundations of Ethical Multiagent Systems

P.K. Murukannaiah; Nirav Ajmeri; C.M. Jonker; Munindar P. Singh

New Foundations of Ethical Multiagent Systems

P.K. Murukannaiah, Nirav Ajmeri, C.M. Jonker, Munindar P. Singh

Interactive Intelligence

Research output: Chapter in Book/Conference proceedings/Edited volume › Conference contribution › Scientific › peer-review

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Abstract

Ethics is inherently a multiagent concern. However, research on AI ethics today is dominated by work on individual agents: (1) how an autonomous robot or car may harm or (differentially) benefit people in hypothetical situations (the so-called trolley problems) and (2) how a machine learning algorithm may produce biased decisions or recommendations. The societal framework is largely omitted. To develop new foundations for ethics in AI, we adopt a sociotechnical stance in which agents (as technical entities) help autonomous social entities or principals (people and organizations). This multiagent conception of a sociotechnical system (STS) captures how ethical concerns arise in the mutual interactions of multiple stakeholders. These foundations would enable us to realize ethical STSs that incorporate social and technical controls to respect stated ethical postures of the agents in the STSs. The envisioned foundations require new thinking, along two broad themes, on how to realize (1) an STS that reflects its stakeholders’ values and (2) individual agents that function effectively in such an STS.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Proceedings of the 19th Conference on Autonomous Agents and MultiAgent Systems
Pages	1706-1710
Number of pages	5
ISBN (Electronic)	978-1-4503-7518-4
Publication status	Published - 2020
Event	AAMAS 2020: The 19th International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems - Auckland, New Zealand Duration: 9 May 2020 → 13 May 2020 Conference number: 19th https://aamas2020.conference.auckland.ac.nz

Conference

Conference	AAMAS 2020
Country/Territory	New Zealand
City	Auckland
Period	9/05/20 → 13/05/20
Other	Virtual/online event due to COVID-19
Internet address	https://aamas2020.conference.auckland.ac.nz

Bibliographical note

Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care
Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.

Keywords

Ethics
Values
Sociotechnical systems

Access to Document

Murukannaiah-2020-AAMASBlueSky-EthicalMASAccepted author manuscript, 425 KB
3398761.3398958Final published version, 873 KB

Best Blue Sky Paper
Murukannaiah, P.K. (Recipient), 10 May 2020
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)

Cite this

@inproceedings{a4142f52f7214c9e842a469821cd0a64,

title = "New Foundations of Ethical Multiagent Systems",

abstract = "Ethics is inherently a multiagent concern. However, research on AI ethics today is dominated by work on individual agents: (1) how an autonomous robot or car may harm or (differentially) benefit people in hypothetical situations (the so-called trolley problems) and (2) how a machine learning algorithm may produce biased decisions or recommendations. The societal framework is largely omitted. To develop new foundations for ethics in AI, we adopt a sociotechnical stance in which agents (as technical entities) help autonomous social entities or principals (people and organizations). This multiagent conception of a sociotechnical system (STS) captures how ethical concerns arise in the mutual interactions of multiple stakeholders. These foundations would enable us to realize ethical STSs that incorporate social and technical controls to respect stated ethical postures of the agents in the STSs. The envisioned foundations require new thinking, along two broad themes, on how to realize (1) an STS that reflects its stakeholders{\textquoteright} values and (2) individual agents that function effectively in such an STS.",

keywords = "Ethics, Values, Sociotechnical systems",

author = "P.K. Murukannaiah and Nirav Ajmeri and C.M. Jonker and Singh, {Munindar P.}",

note = "Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository {\textquoteleft}You share, we take care!{\textquoteright} – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public. ; AAMAS 2020 : The 19th International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems ; Conference date: 09-05-2020 Through 13-05-2020",

year = "2020",

language = "English",

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booktitle = "Proceedings of the 19th Conference on Autonomous Agents and MultiAgent Systems",

url = "https://aamas2020.conference.auckland.ac.nz",

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T1 - New Foundations of Ethical Multiagent Systems

AU - Murukannaiah, P.K.

AU - Ajmeri, Nirav

AU - Jonker, C.M.

AU - Singh, Munindar P.

N1 - Conference code: 19th

PY - 2020

Y1 - 2020

N2 - Ethics is inherently a multiagent concern. However, research on AI ethics today is dominated by work on individual agents: (1) how an autonomous robot or car may harm or (differentially) benefit people in hypothetical situations (the so-called trolley problems) and (2) how a machine learning algorithm may produce biased decisions or recommendations. The societal framework is largely omitted. To develop new foundations for ethics in AI, we adopt a sociotechnical stance in which agents (as technical entities) help autonomous social entities or principals (people and organizations). This multiagent conception of a sociotechnical system (STS) captures how ethical concerns arise in the mutual interactions of multiple stakeholders. These foundations would enable us to realize ethical STSs that incorporate social and technical controls to respect stated ethical postures of the agents in the STSs. The envisioned foundations require new thinking, along two broad themes, on how to realize (1) an STS that reflects its stakeholders’ values and (2) individual agents that function effectively in such an STS.

AB - Ethics is inherently a multiagent concern. However, research on AI ethics today is dominated by work on individual agents: (1) how an autonomous robot or car may harm or (differentially) benefit people in hypothetical situations (the so-called trolley problems) and (2) how a machine learning algorithm may produce biased decisions or recommendations. The societal framework is largely omitted. To develop new foundations for ethics in AI, we adopt a sociotechnical stance in which agents (as technical entities) help autonomous social entities or principals (people and organizations). This multiagent conception of a sociotechnical system (STS) captures how ethical concerns arise in the mutual interactions of multiple stakeholders. These foundations would enable us to realize ethical STSs that incorporate social and technical controls to respect stated ethical postures of the agents in the STSs. The envisioned foundations require new thinking, along two broad themes, on how to realize (1) an STS that reflects its stakeholders’ values and (2) individual agents that function effectively in such an STS.

KW - Ethics

KW - Values

KW - Sociotechnical systems

M3 - Conference contribution

SP - 1706

EP - 1710

BT - Proceedings of the 19th Conference on Autonomous Agents and MultiAgent Systems

T2 - AAMAS 2020

Y2 - 9 May 2020 through 13 May 2020

ER -

New Foundations of Ethical Multiagent Systems

Abstract

Conference

Bibliographical note

Keywords

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Prizes

Best Blue Sky Paper

Cite this