Responsible Innovation of Information and Communication Technologies

What is it about?

Increasingly, scientists in all fields, including ICT, are under growing pressure to consider and reflect on the motivations, purposes and potential consequences associated with their research. This pressure comes from both the general public and from government institutions. Along with these demands there is a growing recognition that existing governance processes within ICT do not address broader concerns such as the possible social consequences of innovation. Examples of ICTs raising societal concerns abound. One such example can be found in the current debate around drones where campaigners are warning that its use may infringe upon basic human rights such as privacy through the potential for pervasive surveillance. This is but one example of many debates around technological innovation that are wide-ranging and often occur after technologies have been embedded into the mainstream. This article describes a new area of research namely Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) that has recently emerged in response to the challenges of designing innovations in a socially desirable and acceptable way. We suggest that this approach may be useful for framing discussions about how to manage the introduction of future innovations in ICT. In this article, we briefly discuss the origins of RRI, consider relevant research from Computer Ethics and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), and illustrate the need for a new approach to ICT research governance. Finally, we suggest ways in which the ICT community might draw upon a framework for RRI in ICT based on the findings of a recent interview study with the ICT community. Potential users of the framework are invited to focus on areas and aspects that they think are in specific need of attention and then work through the questions as well as the ICT specific ‘problem space’ we identified.

Featured Image