A Framework for Ethics in Cyber-Physical-Human Systems

Abstract This paper proposes a conceptual framework for consideration of ethical issues in the emerging category of smart cyber-physical systems. Cyber-physical systems (CPS) that bring together controls, communications, computing, and physical systems are being developed in a wide variety of application domains ranging from transportation, energy, and manufacturing, to biomedical and agriculture. Smart CPS are already being and will increasingly be deployed to work with humans, in workplaces, homes, or public spaces, resulting in the creation of cyber-physical human systems (CPHS). Ethical issues in smart CPS and CPHS can be examined within the larger frameworks of ethics of technology and ethics of artificial intelligence. We begin with a description of trends and visions for the future development of smart CPS. We next outline fundamental theories of ethics that offer foundations for thinking about ethical issues in smart CPHS. We argue that it is necessary to fight the tendency toward technological determinism. We argue that in analyzing ethics of smart CPHS, we need to anticipate increasing capabilities and the future deployment of such systems. Ultimately, if these systems are widely deployed in society, they will have a very significant impact, including possible negative consequences, on individuals, communities, nations, and the world. Our framework has two main dimensions: (i) stage of development of CPHS domain from early stage research to mature technologies; and (ii) locus of decision making: individual, corporate, and government settings. We illustrate the framework with some specific examples.