contributed articles

I M A G E B Y S U A T G U R S O Z L U

AT A TIME when increasingly potent technologies are being developed with the potential to transform society, researchers in all technological fields, including information and communications technology (ICT), are under growing pressure to consider and reflect on the motivations, purposes, and possible consequences associated with their research. This pressure comes from the general public, civil society, and government institutions. In parallel is a growing recognition that current ethics review procedures within ICT may not address broader concerns (such as the potential societal consequences of innovation).

Instances of ICT raising concerns abound. For
example, along with attention-grabbing headlines
that artificial intelligence (AI) could ultimately pose
an existential threat to humankind, there are more
prosaic, yet strongly felt, social transformations
already associated with AI technolo-
gies. For example, AI is an increasingly
powerful protagonist in the story of
how digital technologies are trans-
forming the nature of work, as more
types of work are mediated digitally,
including how it is allocated, assessed,
and rewarded. With these new forms
of digital agency driving important as-
pects of labor markets, questions arise
as to whose interests are being served
and how accountability and transpar-
ency can be assured.

This is but one example of many debates around technology-, product-, and process-based innovation. Potential conflicts are wide-ranging and, most important, often emerge only after technologies have been embedded into the mainstream.

ICT scholars and professionals have long tried to understand and address these issues, though there are still numerous areas of concern. A novel concept—“responsible research and innovation,” or RRI —has emerged recently in response to the challenge of designing innovations in a socially desirable and acceptable way. It may be useful for framing the discussion about how to manage the introduction of future innovations in ICT. In this article, we discuss the origins of RRI, consider relevant research from computer ethics and human-computer interaction (HCI), and illustrate the need for a new approach for the governance of ICT research. Finally, we suggest ways researchers might draw upon a framework for RRI in ICT based on the findings of an interview study conducted

Responsible
Research and
Innovation in
the Digital Age

DOI: 10.1145/3064940

RRI requires doing the best science for the
world, not only the best science in the world.
BY MARINA JIROTKA, BARBARA GRIMPE, BERND STAHL,
GRACE EDEN, AND MARK HARTSWOOD
key insights

˽ Responsible research and innovation aims to ensure that the processes and outcomes of research are aligned with societal values.

˽ Our qualitative interview study found that ICT raises particular challenges for RRI; ICT researchers are best positioned to be able to identify them.

˽ We propose a context-specific and flexible framework for RRI in ICT to help researchers use it as a source of inspiration and creativity.