Abstract
Digitization is developing fast and has become a powerful tool for digital planning, construction and operations, for instance digital twins. Now is the right time for constructive approaches and to apply ethics-by-design in order to develop and implement a safe and efficient artificial intelligence (AI) application. So far, no study has addressed the key research question: Where can corporate digital responsibility (CDR) be allocated, and how shall an adequate ethical framework be designed to support digital innovations in order to make full use of the potentials of digitization and AI? Therefore, the research on how best practices meet their corporate responsibility in the digital transformation process and the requirements of the EU for trustworthy AI and its human-friendly use is essential. Its transformation bears a high potential for companies, is critical for success and thus, requires responsible handling. This study generates data by conducting case studies and interviewing experts as part of the qualitative method to win profound insights into applied practice. It provides an assessment of demands stated in the Sustainable Development Goals by the United Nations (SDGs), White Papers on AI by international institutions, European Commission and German Government requesting the consideration and protection of values and fundamental rights, the careful demarcation between machine (artificial) and human intelligence and the careful use of such technologies. The study discusses digitization and the impacts of AI in construction engineering from an ethical perspective. This research critically evaluates opportunities and risks concerning CDR in construction industry. To the author’s knowledge, no study has set out to investigate how CDR in construction could be conceptualized, especially in relation to digitization and AI, to mitigate digital transformation both in large, medium- and small-sized companies. This study applies a holistic, interdisciplinary, inclusive approach to provide guidelines for orientation and examine benefits as well as risks of AI. Furthermore, the goal is to define ethical principles which are key for success, resource-cost-time efficiency and sustainability using digital technologies and AI in construction engineering to enhance digital transformation. This study concludes that innovative corporate organizations starting new business models are more likely to succeed than those dominated by a more conservative, traditional attitude.
Highlights
When science and technology, such as artificial intelligence (AI), meet human application, ethical moral issues arise
The construction industry is challenged by both corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate digital responsibility (CDR) in an era in which AI is expanding
As a result of the high demand for both technological development and value-based decision making, CDR has come into focus within the construction industry as a feasible holistic approach to enable the implementation of human-led digitization and AI
Summary
When science and technology, such as AI, meet human application, ethical moral issues arise. The positive result of the inclusion of multidisciplinary aspects and revealing key factors for success in business show that such an approach in construction both supports the sustainability development goals (SDG), to develop trustworthy AI and uses the potentials of AI in a sensible and safe manner. These results are beneficial for the introduction of ethical AI debates in construction as we already know them from other sciences. AI makes software intelligent and is based on data—the more, the better Algorithms evaluate this data and recognize patterns and features. Developing, applying and maintaining such data-driven technologies—as described in Sect. 2 and within the Case Studies requires orientation in order to be able to assume related digital responsibilities
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