Researchers who use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning tools face pressure to pursue “ethical AI,” yet little is known about how researchers enact ethical standards in practice. The author investigates the development of AI ethics using the case of digital psychiatry, a field that uses machine learning to study mental illness and provide mental health care. Drawing on ethnographic research and interviews, the author analyzes how digital psychiatry researchers become “moral entrepreneurs,” actors who wield their social influence to define ethical conduct, through two practices. First, researchers engage in moral discovery, identifying gaps in regulation as opportunities to articulate ethical standards. Second, researchers engage in moral enclosure, specifying a community of people licensed to do moral regulation. With these techniques, digital psychiatry researchers demonstrate ethical innovation is essential to their professional identity. Yet ultimately, the author demonstrates how moral entrepreneurship erects barriers to participation in ethical decision making and constrains the focus of ethical consideration.
This content will become publicly available on October 1, 2025
Responsibility and Care in AI / ML Education: A Collaborative Approach to Ethical Awareness
The rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) has led to significant innovations but also raised ethical concerns. Researchers and students designed an ethical online game in this study to spread awareness about making informed decisions when using AI and ML. Conducted within a directed research group (DRG) curricular method, the study engages students as co‐researchers to develop a game, from developing ideas to playtesting the game in a class setting. The study employs a quantitative methodology to analyze a survey that 32 students, each with diverse backgrounds and knowledge in game development, conducted after each class session over three semesters. Findings indicate that self‐reported engagement changes depending on the activities done in each session, with students feeling capable of contributing to research and game design.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2127924
- PAR ID:
- 10552441
- Publisher / Repository:
- Association for Information Science and Technology
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology
- Volume:
- 61
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 2373-9231
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 1168 to 1170
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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