scholarly journals The personal digital twin, ethical considerations

2021 ◽  
Vol 379 (2207) ◽  
pp. 20200367
Author(s):  
Derrick de Kerckhove
Keyword(s):  
Digital Simulation ◽  
Autonomous Systems ◽  
Human Person ◽  
Optimal Operation ◽  
Ethical Considerations ◽  
Digital Twin ◽  
Computer Interfaces ◽  
Cognitive Faculties ◽  
Technological Developments ◽  
Decision Making Processes

The personal digital twin extends to individual persons, a concept that originated in engineering to twin complex machines with a digital simulation containing a model of its functions to monitor its past and present behaviour, and repair, correct, improve or otherwise ensure its optimal operation. Several independent trends in technological developments are seen to converge towards the elaboration of the digital replication of individual human data and life history, notably in health industries. Among the main ones, we consider the ubiquitous distribution of digital assistants, the rapid progress of machine learning concurrent with the exponential growth of ‘personal’ Big Data and the incipient interest in developing lifelogs. The core hypothesis here is that among the psychological effects of the digital transformation, the externalization of cognitive faculties such as memory, planning and judgement, the decision-making processes located within the human person are also emigrating to digital functions, perhaps as a prelude to a later re-integration within the person via brain–computer interfaces. The paper concludes with ethical considerations about these ongoing developments. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Towards symbiotic autonomous systems’.

scholarly journals Legal aspects related to digital twin

2021 ◽  
Vol 379 (2207) ◽  
pp. 20210023
Author(s):  
Marina Teller
Keyword(s):  
Autonomous Systems ◽  
Human Person ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Legal Aspects ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Legal Tradition ◽  
Medical Field ◽  
Digital Twin ◽  
The Law ◽  
Digital Human

The creation of digital replicas of individuals, based on their data, gives birth to what experts in medical field called the ‘personal digital twin’. This new ‘digital self’ raises many difficulties, in sociology, in science and in law. This article presents the main issues from a legal point of view. Most of the structuring concepts of the law are questioned by these special symbiotic systems: the concept of person, identity, entitlement to rights and obligations, legal capacity, liability, data processing, etc. All these notions, which are rooted in the legal tradition, are correlated to the human person and must therefore be profoundly adapted to apply to the digital twin. It is a new experience: the law must devise concepts to take account of an entity that is halfway between people and things. We see this as an opportunity to rethink the legal framework and to consider the advent of future digital human rights. This questioning, barely sketched here, aims to make the law evolve towards a better consideration of symbiotic systems. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Towards symbiotic autonomous systems’.

scholarly journals Responsible Autonomy

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginia Dignum
Keyword(s):  
Design Process ◽  
Ethical Behavior ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Intelligent Systems ◽  
Autonomous Systems ◽  
Research Direction ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
Technological Developments

As intelligent systems are increasingly making decisions that directly affect society, perhaps the most important upcoming research direction in AI is to rethink the ethical implications of their actions. Means are needed to integrate moral, societal and legal values with technological developments in AI, both during the design process as well as part of the deliberation algorithms employed by these systems. In this paper, we describe leading ethics theories and propose alternative ways to ensure ethical behavior by artificial systems. Given that ethics are dependent on the socio-cultural context and are often only implicit in deliberation processes, methodologies are needed to elicit the values held by designers and stakeholders, and to make these explicit leading to better understanding and trust on artificial autonomous systems.

scholarly journals Humane treatment versus means of control: coercive measures in Norwegian high-security psychiatry, 1895–1978

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 424-442
Author(s):  
Magne Brekke Rabben ◽  
Øyvind Thomassen
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Human Dignity ◽  
Historical Study ◽  
Ethical Considerations ◽  
Patient Case ◽  
Coercive Measures ◽  
High Security ◽  
Technological Developments ◽  
Case Files ◽  
Insight Into

This article analyses the use of coercive measures in two national institutions for high-security psychiatry in Norway – Kriminalasylet (Criminal Asylum) and Reitgjerdet – during the period 1895–1978. Historical study of coercion in psychiatry is a fruitful approach to new insight into the moral and ethical considerations within the institutions. We approach the topic through a qualitative study of patient case files and ward reports from the institutions’ archives, as well as a comprehensive quantification of the coercive measures used. The data show shifting considerations of humane treatment and changes in the respect for human dignity in the institutions’ practices. They also show that technological developments, such as the introduction of new psychopharmaceuticals, did not necessarily lead to higher standards of treatment.

Ethics and Evaluative Consultations with Children in Small to Mid-Sized Australian Non-Government Organisations

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leanne Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Ethical Decision ◽  
Ethical Decision Making ◽  
Program Improvement ◽  
Ethical Guidelines ◽  
Ethical Considerations ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Children’S Voices

The value of listening to children's voices is well acknowledged. The vast body of literature surrounding this topic discusses children's voices in pedagogy, theory, methodology, and through empirical research. While some of this literature has focused on ethical considerations surrounding evaluative consultations with children in applied practice settings, there is a shortage of literature specifically relevant to small and medium-sized nongovernment organisations (NGOs). These organisations typically conduct consultations on a smaller scale and with fewer resources than their larger counterparts. This paper refers to Australian ethical guidelines using a practice example from a mid-sized NGO to examine ethics in child consultation from a practice-based program improvement perspective. The paper examines whether consultations with children always require formal ethics approval and discusses terminology and considerations surrounding ethical decision making processes.

scholarly journals Forced treatment and care in home-dwelling persons with dementia

2020 ◽  
pp. 096973302094810
Author(s):  
Åshild Gjellestad ◽  
Trine Oksholm ◽  
Frøydis Bruvik
Keyword(s):  
Daily Living ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Ethical Considerations ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Regional Committee ◽  
Descriptive Statistical Analysis

Background: The use of forced treatment and care of home-dwelling persons with dementia is a universally important topic. These patients are completely dependent on care from others to continue living at home. Aim: This study aimed to gain insights into formal decisions related to the forced treatment and care of home-dwelling persons with dementia. Design and sample: This is a cross-sectional study, based on formal decisions of forced treatment and care of home-dwelling persons with dementia in Norway between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2016. Methods: Descriptive statistical analysis. Statistically significant associations suitable for binary logistic regression were presented as odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals. Ethical considerations: Approved by The Regional Committee for Medical and Health Research Ethics, and by the Norwegian Center for Research. Results: We found 108 formal decisions of forced treatment and care of persons with dementia. Decisions of admission represented 57% of the data, other medical and safety decisions 27%, and assistance with activities of daily living 16%. In most cases, physicians were responsible for the decisions (77%), but nurses and family members were often involved. Discussion and conclusion: This study demonstrated a prevalence rate of formally documented decisions of forced treatment and care much lower than findings in previous studies. Poor documentation may constitute a risk for the safety and wellbeing of persons with dementia. Although physicians were usually responsible for the decisions, nurses and family members were often involved in the process. Family participation in forced treatment and care raises ethical dilemmas. More research on the experiences of nurses, persons with dementia and family members with forced treatment and care is needed to aid ethical, legal, and clinically challenging decision-making processes.

Ethical considerations in the use of brain-computer interfaces

Open Medicine ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 720-724 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilia Mikołajewska ◽  
Dariusz Mikołajewski
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Clinical Application ◽  
Public Interest ◽  
Brain Computer Interfaces ◽  
Ethical Considerations ◽  
Computer Interfaces ◽  
Planning And Management ◽  
Further Development

AbstractNervous system disorders are among the most severe disorders. Significant breakthroughs in contemporary clinical practice may provide brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) and neuroprostheses (NPs). The aim of this article is to investigate the extent to which the ethical considerations in the clinical application of brain-computer interfaces and associated threats are being identified. Ethical considerations and implications may significantly influence further development of BCIs and NPs. Moreover, there is significant public interest in supervising this development. Awareness of BCIs’ and NPs’ threats and limitations allow for wise planning and management in further clinical practice, especially in the area of long-term neurorehabilitation and care.

scholarly journals Towards Trust, Transparency and Liability in AI / AS systems

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Thelisson
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Autonomous Systems ◽  
Research Problem ◽  
Collective Decision ◽  
Collective Decision Making ◽  
Global Level ◽  
Governance Mechanisms ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Artificial Intelligence Systems

The research problem being investigated in this article is how to develop governance mechanisms and collective decision-making processes at a global level for Artificial Intelligence systems (AI) and Autonomous systems (AS), which would enhance confidence in AI and AS.

scholarly journals The Ethics of Human–Animal Relationships and Public Discourse: A Case Study of Lions Bred for Their Bones

Animals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Coals ◽  
Dawn Burnham ◽  
Andrew Loveridge ◽  
David W. Macdonald ◽  
Michael ’t Sas-Rolfes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Discourse ◽  
Wildlife Conservation ◽  
Formal Analysis ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Ethical Considerations ◽  
Ethical Argument ◽  
Form Part ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Human Animal

Conservation and natural resource management are increasingly attending the ethical elements of public decisions. Ethical considerations are challenging, in part, because they typically require accounting for the moral consideration of various human and nonhuman forms of life, whose interests sometimes conflict (or seem to conflict). A valuable tool for such evaluations is the formal analysis of ethical arguments. An ethical argument is a collection of premises, logically interrelated, to yield a conclusion that can be expressed in the form, “We ought to…” According to the rules of logic, a conclusion is supported by an argument if all its premises are true or appropriate and when it contains no mistaken inferences. We showed how the formal analysis of ethical arguments can be used to engage stakeholders and decision-makers in decision-making processes. We summarised the method with ten specific guidelines that would be applicable to any case. We illustrated the technique using a case study focused on captive-bred lions, the skeletons of which form part of an international trade to supply traditional medicine markets in Southeast Asia with felid bones. As a matter of public policy, the practice is a complicated nexus of concerns for entrepreneurial freedom, wildlife conservation, and the fair treatment of animals.

The IEEE Global Initiative for Ethical Considerations in Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Systems [Standards]

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raja Chatila ◽  
Kay Firth-Butterflied ◽  
John C. Havens ◽  
Konstantinos Karachalios
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Autonomous Systems ◽  
Ethical Considerations ◽  
Global Initiative

scholarly journals Resource-Efficient Sensor Data Management for Autonomous Systems Using Deep Reinforcement Learning

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (20) ◽  
pp. 4410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seunghwan Jeong ◽  
Gwangpyo Yoo ◽  
Minjong Yoo ◽  
Ikjun Yeom ◽  
Honguk Woo
Keyword(s):  
Reinforcement Learning ◽  
Data Quality ◽  
Data Management ◽  
Autonomous Systems ◽  
Sensor Data ◽  
Data Uncertainty ◽  
Seamless Integration ◽  
Digital Twin ◽  
Physical Attributes ◽  
Sensor Data Management

Hyperconnectivity via modern Internet of Things (IoT) technologies has recently driven us to envision “digital twin”, in which physical attributes are all embedded, and their latest updates are synchronized on digital spaces in a timely fashion. From the point of view of cyberphysical system (CPS) architectures, the goals of digital twin include providing common programming abstraction on the same level of databases, thereby facilitating seamless integration of real-world physical objects and digital assets at several different system layers. However, the inherent limitations of sampling and observing physical attributes often pose issues related to data uncertainty in practice. In this paper, we propose a learning-based data management scheme where the implementation is layered between sensors attached to physical attributes and domain-specific applications, thereby mitigating the data uncertainty between them. To do so, we present a sensor data management framework, namely D2WIN, which adopts reinforcement learning (RL) techniques to manage the data quality for CPS applications and autonomous systems. To deal with the scale issue incurred by many physical attributes and sensor streams when adopting RL, we propose an action embedding strategy that exploits their distance-based similarity in the physical space coordination. We introduce two embedding methods, i.e., a user-defined function and a generative model, for different conditions. Through experiments, we demonstrate that the D2WIN framework with the action embedding outperforms several known heuristics in terms of achievable data quality under certain resource restrictions. We also test the framework with an autonomous driving simulator, clearly showing its benefit. For example, with only 30% of updates selectively applied by the learned policy, the driving agent maintains its performance about 96.2%, as compared to the ideal condition with full updates.

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