Ethical Literacy in Information Professions

Ethical Literacy and RIM Leadership

• Information professionals must understand ethical issues relevant to their practice areas, such as records management and libraries.
• Codified professional ethics distinguish these professions from other knowledge work.
• The rise of technologies, especially AI, expands and complicates ethical questions in the information field.
• Professionals need to evolve their competencies in traditional information ethics to include digital ethics, covering AI and data ethics.
• Digital ethics is essential for leaders to navigate emerging technologies' impacts across the information lifecycle, including creation, access, and usage.

Digital Ethics Framework

• Digital ethics should be grounded in common morality but specifically apply to digital technologies and practices.
• Ethics encompasses norms and knowledge about conduct, blending insights from various disciplines like philosophy and sociology.
• Mooradian’s ethical framework includes principles from general guidelines to specific judgments dealing with ethical conduct.
• Five core ethical principles include:
  • Non-Maleficence (Non-Harm)
  • Autonomy
  • Fairness
  • Responsibility
  • Beneficence
• Each principle specifies general rules applicable to emerging socio-technical contexts.

Evolution of Ethics in Technology

• Information ethics, arising with technologies like computer networks and databases, has transformed into the broader field of digital ethics.
• Core issues in information ethics include data privacy, confidentiality, intellectual property, and cybersecurity, now complicated by AI technologies.
• AI has introduced new ethical challenges:
  • Algorithmic bias and opacity
  • Misinformation
  • Automation of knowledge work
  • Environmental impact of resource-heavy AI systems.

Challenges of AI and Machine Learning

• AI technologies, particularly machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL), demand extensive data, raising privacy concerns.
• ML and DL create associations that can unveil sensitive personal information from innocuous data, heightening privacy risks.
• Algorithmic biases may lead to discrimination in decision-making processes, especially in high-stakes areas such as loan applications and law enforcement.
• The opacity of certain algorithms complicates understanding their decision-making processes, fostering ethical concerns.

Digital Ethics Literacy

• Digital ethics literacy combines information literacy, ethical reasoning, and digital skills.
• Information literacy involves recognizing and effectively using needed information, also encompassing critical thinking.
• Acquiring digital ethics literacy involves:
  • Building on existing information and digital literacies.
  • Understanding the contextual principles and functionalities of emerging technologies.
• Familiarity with AI ethics principles and guidelines from organizations like the EU and OECD is crucial for developing ethical literacy.

Developing Digital Literacy in RIM

• Information professionals should enhance their digital literacy through a foundational understanding of traditional technologies, like databases and content management systems.
• Basic comprehension of AI systems, including supervised and unsupervised learning, is vital, even without deep technical expertise.
• Familiarity with AI-related concepts equips RIM leaders to address and manage the ethical implications of emerging technologies in their roles.

This quiz explores the essential ethical issues that information professionals must understand in records, archives, libraries, and IT. Participants will engage with the foundations of ethical literacy crucial for effective leadership in these fields. Test your knowledge and ethical awareness as it relates to your professional practice.