Main stage presentation from the smart city conference Nordic Edge in Stavanger. On tech trends, ethical issues and how to build a more resilient way of handling the surveillance capitalism.

1. ETHICS
IN TECH
Where is the limit?
Kim Escherich
Executive Innovation Architect & AI-Ethical Ombudsman, IBM
Co-Founder, Fremvirke & Nordic Bildung
Co-Founder, Muldiverset
Hieronymus Bosch
(Part of) The Seven Deadly Sins
and the Four Last Things, 1485

4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzPs7GfOkew

5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUphMqs1vFw

6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ54GDm1eL0

7. Keiichi Matsuda
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJg02ivYzSs

8. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-05-06/who-to-sue-when-a-robot-loses-your-fortune

9. https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/25/18516004/amazon-warehouse-fulfillment-centers-productivity-firing-terminations

10. https://www.technologyreview.com/s/614015/emotion-recognition-technology-artifical-intelligence-inaccurate-psychology/

11. • Uncertainty
• Dehumanisation
• Lack of privacy
• Immature tech
• Discrimination
• Opacity
• Irresponsibility

12. ”Ethical questions revolve
around how to treat other
people and other living
beings…”
– The Danish Council on Ethics

13. ”Ethical questions revolve
around machines treat
people and other living
beings…”
– The Danish Council on Ethics

14. Rules Spoken Unspoken
Severe Legislation Ethics
Less severe ”level playing field” Etiquette
Ethical dilemma: Difficult conflict of values, where choices
must be made between several alternatives for a specific action,
the outcome of which will have consequences for other people.
Source: Jacob Birkler

15. 5pieces of advice

16. (1) UNDERSTAND
SURVEILLANCE CAPITALISM

17. Source: The Age of Surveillance Capitalism by Shoshana Zuboff

18. https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/05/facial-recognition-police-officers-hillsboro-oregon-amazon.html

19. https://www.cnet.com/features/amazons-helping-police-build-a-surveillance-network-with-ring-doorbells

20. https://theintercept.com/2019/02/14/amazon-ring-police-surveillance/

21. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/theworldpost/wp/2018/08/08/sidewalk-labs

22. (2) EXPLORE THE POWER OF DOUBT

23. Sharpening ethical thinking skills

24. 24
Little mirror…
Your employer has decided to install a sensor in all toilet
mirrors. The mirror reads how you feel, based on your face
color, mimicry and wrinkles, and can predict a variety of
cardiovascular diseases before they occur. And gives good
advice on how to live a healthier life.
Welcome the prospect of
a healthier, longer and
more productive life
Ignores the good advice -
an algorithm should not
dictate my way of life
Restricts surveillance by
washing hands in the
kitchen after a toilet visit
What do you do?
• Every year, 55,300 Danes are
affected by cardiovascular
disease. Every fourth dies from it
- and you get an early warning if
you are in the risk zone
• The system increases health and
significantly reduces sickness
absence - which is why the boss
is crazy about it
• In theory, you can turn off the
feature, but the manager will be
alerted
• The manager will be notified if
there is a possible risk and may
continuously monitor your
progress to help you get healthier
• However, painful discussions
may occur with the manager if
you choose to ignore the good
advice the system provides for a
healthier life.

26. https://futurism.com/neoscope/blood-pressure-tech-analyze-selfie

27. (3) GET A GRIP ON AI-ETHICS

28. BLACK
BOX 42

30. ”Every person involved in the creation
of AI at any step is accountable for
considering the system’s impact in the
world, as are the companies invested
in its development”
• Accountability
• Value Alignment
• Explainability
• Fairness
• User Data Rights

31. 1. Human agency and oversight
2. Technical robustness and safety
3. Privacy and Data governance
4. Transparency
5. Diversity, non-discrimination and fairness
6. Societal and environmental well-being
7. Accountability
https://ec.europa.eu/futurium/en/ai-alliance-consultation

32. (4) ACKNOWLEDGE LIMITS OF TECH

33. algorithmic authority

35. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/daveyalba/amazon-rekognition-facial-recognition-congress-false

36. (5) DESIGN FOR HUMANS

37. SOLUTIONISM VS. DESIGN THINKING

38. MACHINE VS. HUMAN

39. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-07135-0

40. https://www.technologyreview.com/s/612341/a-global-ethics-study-aims-to-help-ai-solve-the-self-driving-trolley-problem/

41. https://www.copenhagencatalog.org/

42. https://www.techpledge.org/

43. 43
A Smart City is a city that can balance its
social, commercial and environmental needs
while optimizing the resources it has available
for the benefit of its citizens.
It understands that it is a system of systems.

44. 44
A Smart City is a city that can balance its
social, commercial and environmental needs
while optimizing the resources it has available
for the benefit of its citizens.
It understands that it is a physical location in
the surveillance capitalism, it utilizes
technology in wise ways, it designs and acts
with an offset in human thinking and it’s
leadership are system thinkers.

45. Kim Escherich
escherich@dk.ibm.com
+45 2880 4733
www.escherich.biz
@kescherich
/in/escherich
IBM Trusted AI for Business
https://www.ibm.com/watson/ai-ethics/
Nordic Bildung
https://nordicbildung.org
Fremvirke
https://fremvirke.dk