Ethical adaptation and legal regulation of modern technology

The efficiency and convenience afforded by modern technology have increased its importance to society in recent years. However, the risks and ethical issues associated with it can lead to many social problems. There is consensus in the academic community that standardizing the research and development of modern technology can help solve those problems. Although different in scope, ethical adaptation and legal regulation are both effective ways to regulate modern technology. Ethical adaptation is mainly used to optimize the environment of research and development on modern technology. The coordination of Dao (the ‘way’ in classical Chinese philosophy) and technology is a means of constructing a rational technical ethic. The social construction of technology provides the possibility for Dao–technology coordination, and responsible innovation is a responsibility that should be shouldered by technical workers. The ethical adaptation of modern technology has a significant influence but limited restraints. When ethical adaptation cannot function, it is necessary to consider technical behaviour within the scope of legal regulations and restrain modern technology by formulating and implementing a legal system for it. The relevant laws are grounded in the coercive force of the state and are far more effective than ethical norms. Moreover, a lack of ethics for technological actors has caused some negative consequences in the application of technology. When formulating laws regarding technology, it is important to include science and technology policies and ethical norms to complete the legal system for technology. The derivative effect of modern technology requires the joint action of ethics and law. Only when they coordinate with and promote each other can the benign development of modern technology and the orderly development of modern society be realized.

An explanation of the relationship between artificial intelligence and human beings from the perspective of consciousness

What will be the relationship between human beings and artificial intelligence (AI) in the future? Does an AI have moral status? What is that status? Through the analysis of consciousness, we can explain and answer such questions. The moral status of AIs can depend on the development level of AI consciousness. Drawing on the evolution of consciousness in nature, this paper examines several consciousness abilities of AIs, on the basis of which several relationships between AIs and human beings are proposed. The advantages and disadvantages of those relationships can be analysed by referring to classical ethics theories, such as contract theory, utilitarianism, deontology and virtue ethics. This explanation helps to construct a common hypothesis about the relationship between humans and AIs. Thus, this research has important practical and normative significance for distinguishing the different relationships between humans and AIs.

Is artificial intelligence capable of understanding? An analysis based on philosophical hermeneutics

From Deep Blue to AlphaGo, the rapid advance of artificial intelligence (AI) in the areas of problem solving and deep learning has lent credence to the prospect that it may one day develop an ability for understanding similar to that of humans or even surpass human intelligence. However, understanding is not a piece of knowledge, a method or an ability. Knowledge can be possessed as an impersonal and public resource. In a certain sense, it can be objectified by a group's understanding, which is characterized by certainty, whereas understanding seems to be in a state of constant transformation and movement. Moreover, a method cannot be separated from the subject and is always subsumed by understanding and interpretation. For a method to be useful, it must be the product of understanding and interpretation. Understanding is not enabled by a method; rather, it is understanding that possesses the method. Finally, understanding cannot be described and defined simply as ability. As an important manifestation of human intelligence, understanding is not an empty shell of method filled by its objects, but an appreciation and extension of the meaning of the objects. Computers are good at dealing with simple and formalized activities that are not associated with a context, but the human activities of understanding are not formalized. From the perspective of philosophical hermeneutics, understanding is filled with elements of reflection and in itself is a form of self-understanding. Furthermore, AI lacks the fore-structure of human understanding. Therefore, whether understanding can be viewed from the perspective of historicity is an important difference between human intelligence and AI, and the missing historical connection of computational programs of AI may be an important reason why it cannot acquire understanding in a real sense.

Study of the system construction and development path of intelligent agriculture in China

Intelligent agriculture is a highly systematic and integrated project that includes modern information technologies such as big data, cloud computing, 5G, blockchain, the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence. The synergistic combination of multiple technologies determines the effectiveness of intelligent agriculture. Therefore, the implementation of individual technologies in particular regions cannot usually deliver all the potential advantages of intelligent agriculture. It is necessary to promote the integration of information technologies with a high degree of cooperation amongst different regions to achieve the overall development of the country. This article aims to detail the systematic framework of intelligent agriculture, clarify each structural part and, from the perspective of organizational function, elucidate each part's information technology function and the interactions between different technologies, and thus improve the structural system of intelligent agriculture. By also evaluating China's advantages (such as policy support, economies of scale and development stage) and challenges in developing intelligent architecture, the article identifies the development priorities for the next development stage. Finally, it makes several policy suggestions, including improving vision, expanding investment, promoting integration and cultivating talent. This article is expected to contribute to the development of intelligent agriculture in China.

Emotional thinking as the foundation of consciousness in artificial intelligence

Current theories of artificial intelligence (AI) generally exclude human emotions. The idea at the core of such theories could be described as ‘cognition is computing’; that is, that human psychological and symbolic representations and the operations involved in structuring such representations in human thinking and intelligence can be converted by AI into a series of cognitive symbolic representations and calculations in a manner that simulates human intelligence. However, after decades of development, the cognitive computing doctrine has encountered many difficulties, both in theory and in practice; in particular, it is far from approaching real human intelligence. Real human intelligence runs through the whole process of the emotions. The core and motivation of rational thinking are derived from the emotions. Intelligence without emotion neither exists nor is meaningful. For example, the idea of ‘hot thinking’ proposed by Paul Thagard, a philosopher of cognitive science, discusses the mechanism of the emotions in human cognition and the thinking process. Through an analysis from the perspectives of cognitive neurology, cognitive psychology and social anthropology, this article notes that there may be a type of thinking that could be called ‘emotional thinking’. This type of thinking includes complex emotional factors during the cognitive processes. The term is used to refer to the capacity to process information and use emotions to integrate information in order to arrive at the right decisions and reactions. This type of thinking can be divided into two types according to the role of cognition: positive and negative emotional thinking. That division reflects opposite forces in the cognitive process. In the future, ‘emotional computing’ will cause an important acceleration in the development of AI consciousness. The foundation of AI consciousness is emotional computing based on the simulation of emotional thinking.

On the three constraints of the development of artificial intelligence: Value, liberation, and responsibility

The socialization of technology and the technicalization of society have accelerated the speed, scope and scale of human liberation from nature. In our past technological society, “liberation” mainly referred to people's physical strength. An intelligent society, characterized by the wide application of the internet, big data, and artificial intelligence (AI), will further liberate not only people's physical strength, but also their mental power, greatly changing social forms and social operation modes, as well as people themselves. In the application of technologies and the design and manufacture of equipment on which the intelligent society depends, a new tension is formed between instrumental rationality and value rationality. While promoting the liberation of human beings, intelligent society will also cause humans to be dominated and enslaved by AI, which will lead to human alienation. Intelligent society is more in pursuit of how the invested capital and technology can multiply in the process of accumulation and circulation; meanwhile, it will ignore the moral responsibilities of relevant parties, such as researchers, manufacturers, and users. In the process of developing an intelligent society, instrumental rationality should be regulated by value rationality, thus promoting the liberation of human beings and eliminating their alienation. As capital appreciation occurs, the moral responsibilities of relevant parties should be clarified.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the future of public health

The COVID-19 pandemic provides us with a rare opportunity to deeply examine the validity of the construction of modern medicine, which is armed by science, and focus more on technologies than on people’s values and more on new ideas than on conventional wisdom. The world’s responses to the COVID-19 emergency have revealed a badly weakened public health system – one of the three pillars of medicine, the other two being basic medicine and clinical medicine. A 100 years ago, public health was the only effective measure for combating infectious diseases, which were then the main cause of human death. It is still a decisive weapon against COVID-19 and other communicable diseases alike, but was barely recognized and trusted at the beginning of the pandemic by the general public and even some international strategists. However, the epidemic has been effectively contained in China by non-pharmacological public health measures, which saved valuable time for the development of vaccines in the country and probably hundreds of thousands of lives as well. Public health aims to improve the health of the entire population by using societal methods. It is not simply a medical issue, and building a strong public health system requires broad participation from various sections of society.

Science popularization and its ethical standpoint

Science popularization has both academic and policy implications. With the rapid development and large-scale application of science and technology, the demand for science popularization has generally increased, and its status in social development has been significantly improved. New features and challenges have emerged, such as changes in popularization content, the modernization of communication methods and the diversification of participants. In addition, science popularization is also faced with many new ethical issues. These new conditions require deeper consideration about which ethical standpoints should be established in science popularization. Beginning with an analysis of the academic and policy implications of science popularization, this study combines the new characteristics of contemporary science popularization to analyse the ethical issues it faces. Finally, it proposes an ethical standpoint that should be maintained in science popularization from the perspectives of utilitarianism, deontology, contract theory and virtue theory, and provides suggestions for converting responsible science popularization initiatives into concrete actions.

On the concept and connotation of science popularization ethics

Some ethical norms should be followed in science popularization. Such norms are related to, but also different from, the ethics of science and technology, communication and education. This paper explores the definition of science popularization ethics in Chinese and foreign literature and reflects on the concept and connotation of the ethical norms that should be followed in science popularization in China. It suggests that the ethical norms that people should follow in science popularization should be defined as ‘science popularization ethics’ in China.

Public understanding of and participation in ethical events relating to science and technology: Comparing China with other countries

With the rapid development of science and technology (S&T), which has a profound impact on human society and the environment, the tension between S&T and ethics has attracted increasing attention. Ethical events occur from time to time in S&T domains, and related issues have aroused heated discussion. In China, the participants in S&T ethical events are mainly professionals in their respective fields. By comparing China with other countries, we can see that public understanding of and participation in S&T ethical events in China still need to be strengthened. This can be accomplished from two perspectives: the promotion of ethical consciousness and the popularization of science.