Research Seminar by Marc Cheong | Digital Ethics and Software Engineering: Towards a More Inclusive Ecosystem

Digital Ethics and Software Engineering: Towards a More Inclusive Ecosystem

Investigation into the ethical and philosophical impact of computing, under the broad banner of Digital Ethics, is pertinent, given recent breakthroughs such as large language models (LLMs) and modern deep learning systems. Research on the effects of such technology -- in areas ranging from automated decision making, to algorithmic hiring, to social media recommenders -- is of major import, due to the potential scale and reach of these systems on people who might not have a say in their deployment. These studies go hand-in-hand with inquiries into broader societal impacts of technology, such as accessibility, equity, and epistemic issues, to say the least.

In this talk, I will illustrate how digital ethics can play a role in making software engineering more inclusive, as it affords us a new perspective to foresee and ameliorate any potential issues. Starting with a primer on ethical frameworks and how they are used in investigating recent technological advancements, I will then highlight potential areas of inquiry in software engineering, based on joint work with colleagues. This includes: (a) issues of diversity and inclusivity in the open-source ecosystem, (b) societal biases in code-completion and assistance LLMs, (c) and ethical considerations for open-source projects and their stakeholders.

I hope that this talk is able to spur conversation on the ethical and societal aspects of software engineering, and to build future research agendas in ensuring that software engineering and its resulting products/artefacts are inclusive, accessible, and equitable for all.