Algorithms and Autonomy

218 Pages·2021·38.574 MB·English

by  Alan Rubel, Clinton Castro, Adam Pham

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THE ETHICS OF AUTOMATED
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DECISION SYSTEMS
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ALAN RUBEL, CLINTON CASTRO AND ADAM PHAM
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algorithms and autonomy
Algorithms influence every facet of modern life: criminal justice, education, housing,
entertainment,elections,socialmedia,newsfeeds,work...thelistgoeson.Delegating
important decisions to machines, however, gives rise to deep moral concerns about
responsibility, transparency, freedom, fairness, and democracy. Algorithms and
Autonomyconnectstheseconcernstothecorehumanvalueofautonomyinthecontexts
of algorithmic teacher evaluation, risk assessment in criminal sentencing, predictive
policing, background checks, news feeds, ride-sharing platforms, social media, and
electioninterference.Usingthesecasestudies,theauthorsprovideabetterunderstand-
ingofmachinefairnessandalgorithmictransparency.Theyexplainwhyinterventionsin
algorithmic systems are necessary to ensure that algorithms are not used to control
citizens’participationinpoliticsandundercutdemocracy.Thistitleisalsoavailableas
OpenAccessonCambridgeCore.
AlanRubelisanassociateprofessorintheInformationSchoolandtheCenterforLaw,
Society&JusticeattheUniversityofWisconsin-Madison.Hehasbeenavisitingscholar
at the 4TU Centre for Ethics& Technology and Delft University of Technology, and
asenioradvisortothePresidentialCommissionfortheStudyofBioethicalIssues.
Clinton Castro is an assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy at Florida
InternationalUniversity.
Adam Pham isa postdoctoral instructor in the Division ofthe Humanitiesand Social
SciencesattheCaliforniaInstituteofTechnology.
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Algorithms and Autonomy
the ethics of automated decision systems
ALAN RUBEL
UniversityofWisconsin-Madison
CLINTON CASTRO
FloridaInternationalUniversity
ADAM PHAM
CaliforniaInstituteofTechnology
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Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781108841818
DOI:10.1017/9781108895057
©AlanRubel,ClintonCastroandAdamPham2021
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Firstpublished2021
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NAMES:Rubel,Alan,author.|Castro,Clinton,author.|Pham,AdamK.,author.

TITLE:Algorithmsandautonomy:theethicsofautomateddecisionsystems/AlanRubel,Universityof
Wisconsin-Madison;ClintonCastro,FloridaInternationalUniversity;AdamPham,CaliforniaInstitute
ofTechnology.
DESCRIPTION:Cambridge,UnitedKingdom;NewYork,NY:CambridgeUniversityPress,2021.|
IIInSDBcElNNudT9e7IFs8I1iEn10Rd8Se7x:9.L5C39C5N(p20ap21e0r0b0a6ck20)|(pISrBinNt)9|7L8C11C0N88290520150700(e6b21oo(ekb)ook)|ISBN9781108841818(hardback)|
SUBJECTS:LCSH:Artificialintelligence–Lawandlegislation–Moralandethicalaspects.|Decision

supportsystems–Moralandethicalaspects.|Expertsystems(Computerscience)–Moralandethical
aspects.
CLASSIFICATION:LCCK564.C6R8292021(print)|LCCK564.C6(ebook)|
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Contents
Acknowledgments pageviii
part i some cases, some ground clearing 1
1 Introduction 3
1.1 ThreeCases 3
1.2 WhatIsanAlgorithm? 8
1.3 Algorithms,Ethics,andAutonomy 11
1.4 OverviewoftheBook 14
1.5 AHeuristic 16
2 Autonomy,Agency,andResponsibility 21
2.1 AutonomyBasics 21
2.2 SomeDistinctions 23
2.3 TheKeySplit 26
2.4 ReconcilingPsychologicalandPersonalAutonomy 34
2.5 AnEcumenicalView 37
2.6 Objections 39
2.7 Conclusion:RelatedConceptsandMoralSalienceofAutonomy 41
part ii respecting persons, what we owe them 43
3 WhatCanAgentsReasonablyEndorse? 45
3.1 IMPACT:NotanAcronym 45
3.2 Autonomy,KantianRespect,andReasonableEndorsement 47
3.3 Teachers,VAMs,andReasonableEndorsement 53
3.4 ApplyingtheReasonableEndorsementTest 58
3.5 WhyNotFairness? 65
3.6 Conclusion 68
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vi Contents
4 WhatWeInformationallyOweEachOther 70
4.1 TheMisfortunesofCatherineTaylorandCarmenArroyo 71
4.2 TwoArgumentsforInformationalRights 75
4.3 RelationtotheGDPR 86
4.4 PolestarCases 91
4.5 Conclusion 95
part iii ensuring the conditions of agency 97
5 Freedom,Agency,andInformationTechnology 99
5.1 FreedomasUndominatedSelf-government 100
5.2 ThreeChallengestoFreedom:Affective,Deliberative,
andSocial 105
5.3 EcologicalNon-domination,Policy,andPolestarCases 113
5.4 WhyNotManipulation? 116
5.5 Conclusion 118
6 EpistemicPaternalismandSocialMedia 119
6.1 DemotingFakeNews 122
6.2 DismantlingEchoChambers 128
6.3 Conclusion 134
part iv the responsibilities of agents 135
7 AgencyLaunderingandInformationTechnologies 137
7.1 AgencyandResponsibility 138
7.2 AgencyLaundering 141
7.3 FacebookandAnti-SemiticAdvertising 145
7.4 UberandDriverManagement 149
7.5 VAMsandTeacherEvaluation 152
7.6 COMPASandCriminalSentencing 154
7.7 RelatedConceptsandConcerns 156
7.8 Conclusion 161
8 DemocraticObligationsandTechnologicalThreatstoLegitimacy 163
8.1 TwoNewTechnologies 163
8.2 PoliticalLegitimacy:ThreeConceptionsandaHybridView 165
8.3 LegitimatingProcesses 171
8.4 TechnologicalThreatstoLegitimacy 173
8.5 OnceMorePastthePole 182
8.6 Conclusion 183
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Contents vii
9 ConclusionsandCaveats 184
9.1 FurtherWork 185
9.2 Caveats:BaselineIssues 186
9.3 BiggerPictures 187
References 189
Index 204
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Acknowledgments
We are enormously grateful for the people, audiences, and institutions that have
providedsupport,feedback,discussion,advice,andcriticismalongtheway.Thanks
in particular to Richard Warner, Rob Streiffer, Filippo Santoni De Sio, Sven
Nyholm, Ken Fleischmann, Eric Meyers, Bernadette Baker, Marc Alfano, Owen
King, Nicole Nelson, Noah Weeth Feinstein, Suresh Venkatasubramanian, Tijn
Borghuis, Holly Robbins, Catherine Crump, Helen Nissenbaum, Philip Nickel,
GuyAxtell,AmielBernal,AdamMoore,BryceNewell,JeroenvandenHoven,Jean
Franc¸ois Blanchette, Jens-Erik Mai, Kris Unsworth, Ellen LeClere, Anita
Mukherjee, Mariah A. Knowles Knowles, Barbara Alvarez, Zhiyan Chen, Kristen
Maples,PhilipRomero-Masters,XerxesMinocher,NikitaShepard,JeromeHodges,
DavidGrantGray,MiloPhillips-Brown,andMacySalzberger.
Thereareanumberofaudiencesthathaveprovidedaplaceforustopresentand
receive feedback on earlier versions of our arguments. These include the BIAS
WorkshopattheiConferenceattheUniversityofSheffield;theUniversityofTexas
Information School; the Information Ethics Roundtable at the University of
Copenhagen; the Amsterdam Privacy Conference; the Computer, Privacy, & Data
ProtectionConference;thePrivacyLawScholarsConference;theZicklinNormative
Business Ethics Workshop at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania; the
Eindhoven University of Technology Philosophy Department; the University of
Twente Philosophy Department; the Department of Values, Technology &
Innovation at Delft University of Technology; the Society for Philosophy and
Technology; the Holtz Center for Science, Technology & Society at University of
Wisconsin-Madison; the Risk and Insurance Department at UW-Madison Business
School;theBowlingGreenPhilosophyDepartment;theUniversityofCalifornia,San
Diego,PhilosophyDepartment;andtheJainFamilyInstitute.
AlanwouldliketothanktheInformationSchool,theCenterforLaw,Society&
Justice, and the Department of Medical History & Bioethics for being wonderful
scholarly,educationalcommunities.Hewouldparticularlyliketothankthemem-
bersofthe4TUCentreforEthics&TechnologyintheNetherlandsandtheFaculty
ofTechnology,PolicyandManagementatDelftUniversityofTechnology,where
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