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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.