Responsible Research and Innovation in Information and Communication Technology: Identifying and Engaging with the Ethical Implications of ICTs

Abstract

The concept of “responsible (research and) innovation” (RRI) can refer to a number of separate but interlinked questions: who is responsible? what are they responsible for? why are they responsible? or what are the consequences of these responsibilities? are just some of the more obvious ones. This chapter will discuss some of the most pertinent of these questions with reference to information and communication technologies (ICT). It will do this by describing the context, background and findings of the European research project “Ethical Issues of Emerging ICT Applications” (ETICA) as well as the currently on-going UK research project on a “Framework for Responsible Research and Innovation in Information and Communication technology” (FRRIICT). The chapter will start with a brief discussion of concepts of responsibility and responsible innovation that will allow the identification of important aspects that a responsible approach to ICT will require. It will then build a FRRIICT by discussing two different approaches to RRI, as represented by the two projects. This will lead to a