The Possibility of Normative Moral Decision Making Artificial Intelligence and its Effects on the Practical Nature of Morality.
type: CreativeWork
description: Background: Researchers from various background are working on the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) that is designed to support professionals in moral decision making. These types of AI are to predict our moral beliefs or judgments in specified choice situations. This paper explores the potential of such AI-technologies to be normative for its users and how that may affect the practice of moral decision making in specified choice situations. Methods: An account of the practical nature of morality is given based on the ideas of Mary Midgley in her work on the nature of morality. Against this background the possibility Moral Decision Making AI (MDMAI) to be normative for its users is assessed for three different ways of designing such MDMAI. As an example of an MDMAI that has the possibility of being normative for its users, the technology of BAIT is used as a starting point in a post phenomenological analysis to assess how such normative MDMAI may transform the practical nature of moral decision making. Conclusions: BAIT as a normative tool in specified moral choice situations, may transform the moral decision making into becoming conservative in nature. This effect may be enhanced by using BAIT as a tool for justifying our decisions. In relying on BAIT in our moral choices we leave out important though hard to identify motives in our deliberations. This may affect the social relation between the persons involved in the decision. Having more and more accurate technologies like BAIT available in the future in more specified situations of moral decision making, this may affect social relations on a larger scale and also the freedom of professionals in making moral decisions.
abstract: Background: Researchers from various background are working on the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) that is designed to support professionals in moral decision making. These types of AI are to predict our moral beliefs or judgments in specified choice situations. This paper explores the potential of such AI-technologies to be normative for its users and how that may affect the practice of moral decision making in specified choice situations. Methods: An account of the practical nature of morality is given based on the ideas of Mary Midgley in her work on the nature of morality. Against this background the possibility Moral Decision Making AI (MDMAI) to be normative for its users is assessed for three different ways of designing such MDMAI. As an example of an MDMAI that has the possibility of being normative for its users, the technology of BAIT is used as a starting point in a post phenomenological analysis to assess how such normative MDMAI may transform the practical nature of moral decision making. Conclusions: BAIT as a normative tool in specified moral choice situations, may transform the moral decision making into becoming conservative in nature. This effect may be enhanced by using BAIT as a tool for justifying our decisions. In relying on BAIT in our moral choices we leave out important though hard to identify motives in our deliberations. This may affect the social relation between the persons involved in the decision. Having more and more accurate technologies like BAIT available in the future in more specified situations of moral decision making, this may affect social relations on a larger scale and also the freedom of professionals in making moral decisions.
author: Vierhout, Emmeke
keywords: B Athroniaeth (Cyffredinol), Q Gwyddoniaeth (Cyffredinol)
date published: 2024-06
date modified: 2026-07-24T05:53:02Z
provider: University of Wales Trinity Saint David
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Wales Trinity Saint David

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.82227/repository.uwtsd.ac.uk.00003179