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The Ethical Balance of Using Smart Information Systems for Promoting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals

Author

Listed:
  • Mark Ryan

    (KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 100 44 Stockholm, Sweden)

  • Josephina Antoniou

    (UCLan Cyprus, 7080 Larnaka, Cyprus)

  • Laurence Brooks

    (Centre for Computing and Social Responsibility, De Montfort University, Leicester LE1 9BH, UK)

  • Tilimbe Jiya

    (Centre for Sustainable Business Practices (CSBP), University of Northampton, Northampton NN1 5PH, UK)

  • Kevin Macnish

    (Department of Philosophy, The University of Twente, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands)

  • Bernd Stahl

    (Centre for Computing and Social Responsibility, De Montfort University, Leicester LE1 9BH, UK)

Abstract

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are internationally agreed goals that allow us to determine what humanity, as represented by 193 member states, finds acceptable and desirable. The paper explores how technology can be used to address the SDGs and in particular Smart Information Systems (SIS). SIS, the technologies that build on big data analytics, typically facilitated by AI techniques such as machine learning, are expected to grow in importance and impact. Some of these impacts are likely to be beneficial, notably the growth in efficiency and profits, which will contribute to societal wellbeing. At the same time, there are significant ethical concerns about the consequences of algorithmic biases, job loss, power asymmetries and surveillance, as a result of SIS use. SIS have the potential to exacerbate inequality and further entrench the market dominance of big tech companies, if left uncontrolled. Measuring the impact of SIS on SDGs thus provides a way of assessing whether an SIS or an application of such a technology is acceptable in terms of balancing foreseeable benefits and harms. One possible approach is to use the SDGs as guidelines to determine the ethical nature of SIS implementation. While the idea of using SDGs as a yardstick to measure the acceptability of emerging technologies is conceptually strong, there should be empirical evidence to support such approaches. The paper describes the findings of a set of 6 case studies of SIS across a broad range of application areas, such as smart cities, agriculture, finance, insurance and logistics, explicitly focusing on ethical issues that SIS commonly raise and empirical insights from organisations using these technologies.

Suggested Citation

  • Mark Ryan & Josephina Antoniou & Laurence Brooks & Tilimbe Jiya & Kevin Macnish & Bernd Stahl, 2020. "The Ethical Balance of Using Smart Information Systems for Promoting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-22, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:12:p:4826-:d:370814
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Rohit Agrawal & Abhijit Majumdar & Kirty Majumdar & Rakesh D. Raut & Balkrishna E. Narkhede, 2022. "Attaining sustainable development goals (SDGs) through supply chain practices and business strategies: A systematic review with bibliometric and network analyses," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(7), pages 3669-3687, November.
    2. Sergio Genovesi & Julia Maria Mönig, 2022. "Acknowledging Sustainability in the Framework of Ethical Certification for AI," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-10, March.
    3. Wen Qiao & Xing Sun & Ping Jiang & Linji Wang, 2020. "Analysis of the Environmental Sustainability of a Megacity through a Cobenefits Indicator System—The Case of Shanghai," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-17, July.
    4. Nadine Bachmann & Shailesh Tripathi & Manuel Brunner & Herbert Jodlbauer, 2022. "The Contribution of Data-Driven Technologies in Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-33, February.

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