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currentscurrents t1_ja94y4s wrote

"AI ethics professor" isn't a real thing.

Ethics isn't even the kind of thing you can be an expert in; anybody calling themselves an ethics expert has declared themselves the arbiter of right and wrong.

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redflexer t1_ja97eug wrote

This specific take is naive, but ethics is a very rigorous discipline and is also different from moral codes, which are subjective.

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currentscurrents t1_ja99uud wrote

I'm not talking about philosophers debating the nature of moral actions. Ethics "experts" and ethics boards make a stronger claim; that they can actually determine what is moral and ethical. This truly is subjective.

At best they're a way for people making tricky decisions to cover their legal liability. Hospitals don't consult ethics boards before unplugging patients because they think the ethicists will have some useful insight; they just want their approval because it will help their defense if they get sued.

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quisatz_haderah t1_ja9j8xr wrote

I think you should add this to your original response. Because this should be heard more.

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redflexer t1_ja9locb wrote

This is not at all how ethic boards operate. They very rarely make decisions themselves but define the parameters within which an ethical decision can be made (e.g. what aspects need to be considered and weighted against each other, who needs to be heard, etc.). If you had other experiences, this is not representative for the majority of boards.

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