Colloquia

Samenvatting

Why do we use artificial intelligence and do we actually want it? Do smart phones still serve the right goal and what are its effects? Emerging and existing technologies can have a great societal impact and stir up the public debate around these questions. A great way to support these technology discussions is to look at its effects on people, society and the environment. Technologies influence us from all sides, that is the core of the Product Impact Tool. It offers a collections of impacts to help understand, design and reflect on impacts of a technology. It is part of a portfolio of practical ethical tools, the Ethical Parallel Track for Innovations, from the Ethics & Technology research group with the Saxion University of Applied Science, this project’s client. This project aimed to translate this tool to versions for the different phases of a technological development process. Observations and interviews better defined the context in which the tools will be used and the problems experienced by the end users, university of applied science students. A framework based on the Technology Readiness Levels structured the literature findings to profile the different phases. Educational tools were created, each proposing a suiting selection from the Product Impact Tool and a way to aid students in the workshop. The tools were tested in a total of six workshops with students from nano-technology, healthcare and engineering among others unveiling the success of certain tool elements. The new tools can be used early in the development process, redirecting development by anticipating impacts, in mid development by strategically designing for certain impacts, and after development by assessing impacts for substantiated application.