Ethical, Legal and Environmental Impacts
What's covered
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Key facts
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
Algorithmic bias is when an AI or computer system produces results that are unfair to certain groups of people.
Autonomous Vehicles: Impacts on Society
Autonomous vehicles will affect employment patterns, for example by reducing jobs for drivers while creating jobs in technology and maintenance.
Cloud Storage: Impacts on Society
Businesses may hesitate to use cloud storage over concerns about data privacy and control, especially for regulated personal or financial data.
Computer-Based Implants: Impacts on Society
An ethical concern is long-term consent and the practical ability to remove the implant later. Surgery to remove can carry significant risk.
Cyber Security: Impacts on Society
A major data breach can damage public confidence in the company involved.
Environmental Impact of Digital Technology
A "carbon footprint" measures the climate impact (CO2-equivalent emissions) of an activity or entity.
Hacking: Unauthorised Access
The UK Computer Misuse Act 1990 makes unauthorised access to a computer a criminal offence.
Intellectual Property and the Law
Copyright protects original works you write, make or produce (e.g. program code, music, writing) and applies automatically: no application is needed.
Mobile Technologies: Impacts on Society
Always-on connectivity changes the work–life balance (out-of-hours emails, "right to disconnect" debates).
Open Source and Proprietary Software
Creative Commons licences let a creator give permission in advance for others to use their work, and every one of the six CC licences requires users to credit the creator (Attribution, BY).
Practice questions with answers
A taste of the 110 questions in this topic, answers marked. Sign up to practise the full set with spaced repetition.
How does a machine learning system learn to carry out a task?
- •By copying answers typed in by a human operator
- ✓By finding patterns in large amounts of training data
- •By following a rule written for every possible case
- •By searching the internet each time it is asked
Which is a potential benefit of autonomous vehicles?
- ✓Could reduce road accidents from human error
- •Would make all road accidents impossible
- •Would make vehicles immune to hacking
- •Would remove all traffic congestion overnight
Which is an advantage of cloud storage?
- ✓Access files from any internet-connected device
- •Files become locked to a single device only
- •Files become smaller automatically over time
- •Files cannot be shared with any other users
Which is an example of a computer-based implant?
- •A laptop carried in a backpack daily
- ✓A pacemaker regulating heart rhythm
- •A printer connected to a home router
- •A wristwatch worn on the outside
Which is a typical social impact of large-scale cyber attacks?
- •Faster internet speeds for users
- ✓Loss of public trust in affected services
- •Lower electricity bills for consumers
- •Reduced demand for IT staff
Which of the following counts as e-waste?
- •A bag of garden grass cuttings
- ✓A discarded broken smartphone
- •A pile of used printer paper
- •An empty plastic shopping bag
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