Ethicist

• Natural habitats are being decimated, the world is growing hotter, and scientists fear we are experiencing the sixth mass extinction event in Earth’s history.
• Under such circumstances, is it reasonable to bring a child into the world?
• Recently, my work has explored questions where these two fields intersect, such as how climate change should affect decision-making about having a family.

A lifelong footprint

• Many people who care about the environment believe they are obligated to try to reduce their impact: driving fuel-efficient vehicles, recycling and purchasing food locally, for example.
• So, if you think you are obligated to do other activities to reduce your impact on the environment, you should limit your family size, too.
• In response, however, some people may argue that adding a single person to a planet of 8 billion cannot make a meaningful difference.

Crunching the numbers

• For example, statistician Paul Murtaugh and scientist Michael Schlax attempted to estimate the “carbon legacy” tied to a couple’s choice to procreate.
• They estimated the total lifetime emissions of individuals living in the world’s most populous 11 countries.

• Driving a more fuel-efficient car, on the other hand – getting 10 more miles to the gallon – would save only 148 metric tons of CO2-equivalent.
• He found that the average American contributes roughly one two-billionth of the total greenhouse gases that cause climate change.

Collective toll

• One common thought in ethics is that people should avoid participating in enterprises that involve collective wrongdoing.
• Suppose someone considers making a small donation to an organization that they learn is engaged in immoral activities, such as polluting a local river.
• We could reason the same way about procreation: Overpopulation is a collective problem that is degrading the environment and causing harm, so individuals should reduce their contribution to it when they can.

Moral gray zone

But perhaps having children warrants an exception. Parenthood is often a crucial part of people’s life plans and makes their lives far more meaningful, even if it does come at a cost to the planet. Some people believe reproductive freedom is so important that no one should feel moral pressure to restrict the size of their family.

• Is there a way to balance the varied and competing moral considerations in play here?
• I believe this allows a couple an appropriate amount of reproductive freedom while also recognizing the moral significance of the environmental problems linked to population growth.
• It is also possible, as ethicist Kalle Grill has argued, that none of these positions gets the moral calculus exactly right.
• Regardless, it is clear that prospective parents should reflect on the moral dimensions of procreation and its importance to their life plans.

Trevor Hedberg does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

• Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 18, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SEALSQ Corp ("SEALSQ" or "Company") (NASDAQ: LAES), a company that focuses on developing and selling Semiconductors, PKI and Post-Quantum technology hardware and software products, today announced its innovative AI strategy during the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Roundtable at Davos.
• The AIoT system functions as the central brain of the SEALSQ Ecosystem, which currently consists of over 1.6 billion semiconductor powered devices.
• In conjunction with its AI strategy announcement, SEALSQ hosted a successful roundtable discussion titled "Decentralization: AI Unleashed: Ensuring Safety and Leveraging Decentralization" at the Hotel Europe in Davos, featuring a diverse panel of experts, including AI researchers, ethicists, technology professionals, and policymakers.
• Establishment of Ethical AI Guidelines: The roundtable emphasized the need for universal ethical standards in AI development and deployment.

• The year saw the emergence of generative AI, which moved the technology from the shadows to center stage in the public imagination.
• It also saw boardroom drama in an AI startup dominate the news cycle for several days.
• We’ve assembled a panel of AI scholars to look ahead to 2024 and describe the issues AI developers, regulators and everyday people are likely to face, and to give their hopes and recommendations.
• Casey Fiesler, Associate Professor of Information Science, University of Colorado Boulder 2023 was the year of AI hype.
• One of the major AI debates of 2023 was around the role of ChatGPT and similar chatbots in education.
• The more people understand how AI works, the more empowered they are to use it and to critique it.
• I hope that universities that are rushing to hire more technical AI experts put just as much effort into hiring AI ethicists.

Anjana Susarla receives funding from the National Institute of Health and the Omura-Saxena Professorship in Responsible AI Casey Fiesler receives funding from the National Science Foundation, and is currently a funded Visiting Fellow with the Notre Dame-IBM Tech Ethics Lab. Kentaro Toyama's research is funded in part by the National Science Foundation.

• On stage yesterday afternoon at the 2023 Annual Meeting of the Hope Global Forums in Atlanta, GA, Operation HOPE’s John Hope Bryant and Open AI’s Sam Altman announced the formation of a first-of-its-kind Council on Artificial Intelligence powered by Operation HOPE.
• Ambassador Andrew Young, Bernice King, Dr. Helene Gayle (President of Spelman College), and Dr. George French (President of Clark Atlanta University) have already committed to join the council, with more to be announced soon.
• Open AI has also committed to its first-ever grant to a community-based organization with $500,000 to help further build out Operation HOPE’s financial coaching and support services.
• A full replay of the conversation between Mr. Bryant and Mr. Altman at the Hope Global Forums can be viewed here .