Technologists and philosophers from across the globe are convening at UD this week

Who are we? What are we here for? What does it all mean?
It most likely won’t be that existential, but there’s a nifty international conference going down at the University of Delaware this week. Titled “Computer Ethics: Philosophical Enquiry,” the event will bring together computer scientists, engineers and philosophers to think about some of the ethical issues that exist (and inevitably will exist) within information technology and artificial intelligence.
Topics will range from military drones to big data ethics to autonomous cars to “love machines” (in a symposium entitled “Robots, Love and Sex: The Ethics of Building a Love Machine”).
The conference is the first collaborative effort between two host organizations — the International Society for Ethics and Information Technology and the International Association for Computing and Philosophy. If you think that sounds like a big ol’ geek party, you’re probably half right. Still, the subject matter discussed at this conference will ultimately play a role in the way legislators view these issues in the near future.
The sooner the public begins thinking about ethics as applied to new disruptive technologies, the more clarity lawmakers will have before they begin drafting legislation. Luckily, a handful of presentation videos will be available once the conference concludes on June 25. Stay tuned.