Articles/Publications

Articles on the societal impacts of technology. Reports on matters related to technology ethics. You can find all of these and more in this curated set of reading material, which is continuously updated as new items become available.

Their Bionic Eyes Are Now Obsolete and Unsupported

Their Bionic Eyes Are Now Obsolete and Unsupported

More than 350 blind people around the world recently found themselves in a world in which the neural implant technology that transformed their lives was just another obsolete gadget. IEEE Spectrum pieced together their story by interviewing half a dozen patients, a company cofounder, and eight doctors or researchers involved with the company. In their telling, the future of high-tech vision implants seems blurrier than ever.
Small school children all look at laptops.

How Organizations Can Create Inclusive and Positive Online Experiences for Children

As part of its commitment to foster dignity, inclusion, identity, trust, and agency in digital and cyber physical environments, the IEEE Standards Association recently released the Applied Case Studies for Children’s Data Governance. The in-depth report provides practical steps for organizations and developers of technologies for children, as well as real-life examples of technology designed to foster positive and trustworthy interactions for children.
A family looks at a computer screen together over their kitchen table.

Generation AI 2020: Health, Wellness and Technology in a Post-COVID World

Generation AI 2020: Health, Wellness and Technology in a Post-COVID World is a global IEEE study that reveals the confidence Millennial parents with Generation Alpha children (under 11-years-old) in the U.S., U.K., India, China and Brazil may have in AI and emerging technologies for the health and wellness of their families.
Graphic of dozens of clipboards falling through a purple background.

As COVID-19 Hastens Reliance on Automation, Experts Warn About the Need for AI Ethics in Healthcare

The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered vast job losses as many businesses are unable to operate during this time. It’s also created a need to quickly identify people who have been infected. As a result, the pandemic is expected to hasten the growth of automation and artificial intelligence (AI). This IEEE Innovation at Work article addresses the unforeseen consequences that can come from the rush to AI without strong regulations and ethics in place.
Woman holds sign protesting 5G outisde courthouse as part of a larger gathering.

Will 5G Be Bad for Our Health?

In this blog post, IEEE antenna and telecommunications experts address concerns over radio frequency exposure from the deployment of 5G networks.
The cover of the March 2019 issue of Proceedings of the IEEE Magazine. Reads: Special Issue Machine Ethics: The Design and Governance of Ethical AI and Autonomous Systems. Features a large silver robot holding a smaller robot devil in one hand and a smaller robot angel in the other.

Machine Ethics: The Design and Governance of Ethical AI and Autonomous Systems

Ethical governance is needed in order to develop standards and processes that allow us to transparently and robustly assure the safety of ethical autonomous systems and hence build public trust and confidence.
Logo of the IEEE Standards Association.

Open Community for Ethics in Autonomous and Intelligent Systems (OCEANIS)

This piece announces a new global forum to foster cooperation in the development and use of ethically aligned standards in ICT, in particular for autonomous and intelligent systems.
The cover of IEEE Security & Privacy Magazine. Features a robot in the style of Rodin's The Thinker sculpture.

IEEE Security & Privacy Magazine: Special Issue on AI Ethics

In this special issue of IEEE Security & Privacy magazine, researchers from across disciplines discuss strategies to prevent a future in which AI defeats liberal values, including privacy, equal protection under the law, and due process.
The cover of IEEE Technology & Society Magainze on Robots and Socio-Ethical Implications.

IEEE Technology and Society Magazine: Special Issue on Robots and Socio-Ethical Implications

This joint special issue with IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine demonstrates the importance of thinking about the socio-ethical potential implications from robots in health, to robots for the military, from robots that serve a specific function in the workplace, to bot software that might well be used to misinform or manipulate the masses.