Virtue as a framework for the design and use of artificial intelligence

Practitioners are seeking information and ethical guidance related to the design and utilization of artificial intelligence (AI) across a variety of applications. Developments at Google illustrate the potential good of AI as well as potential concerns. In this article, we use Google to create a context that demonstrates the relevance of virtue for the ethical design and use of AI. We describe a set of ethical challenges encountered by Google and introduce virtue as a framework for ethical decision making that can be applied broadly to numerous organizations. We also examine support for virtue in ethical decision making as well as its power in attracting and retaining the employees who develop AI and the customers who use it. To conclude, we apply the virtue framework to Google's AI challenges and offer suggestions for its use in other organizations. (C) 2019 Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.