On Good and Evil, the Mistaken Idea That Technology is Ever Neutral, and the Importance of the Double-charge Thesis

Abstract

The article criticises the neutrality thesis (all technology, AI included is neutral and can be used for good and evil purposes). It argues that it must be replaced by the value double-charge thesis, according to which the design of any technologic is a moral act, no technology is ever neutral, and every technology can have a more or less “static equilibrium” of values, thus being subject to forces that push it in morally evil or good directions. It concludes by arguing that the neutrality thesis hides, while the double-charge thesis discloses, the significant responsibilities involved in finding the right values to be implemented, the trade-offs to be reached, and the policies to be devised when designing, developing, and deploying any technology. This is crucial, especially when the technology in question is as powerful, disruptive, and influential as AI.

Keywords: AI, Design, Equilibria, Neutrality Thesis, Value Double-Charge Thesis.