Session+ 22+ +Norms+and+Ethics+ +Part+2

8/13/2019 Session+ 22+ +Norms+and+Ethics+ +Part+2

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Analysis of EmergingTechnologies

Legal / Norms / Ethics

November 19, 2013

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Bitcoin

http://blockchain.info/charts/market-priceExchange rate has increased by 3x since in two weeks.

There are plenty of opportunities fordigital currencies to operate withinexisting laws and regulations.

Edward Lowery, a special agent with theSecret Service, which is tasked withprotecting the integrity of the dollar

Congressional hearings on Bitcoin promised in the wake of the Silk Road seizure inOctober. Those occurred Monday.

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/11/18/regulators-see-value-in-bitcoin-and-investors-hasten-to-agree/


3/25

Shaping Use to Eliminate Slack

High occupancy toll (HOT) lanes on I-85implemented in 2011.

Toll changes dynamically to ensure traffic at 45 mph ormore. The cost for the entire stretch reached $8.50 onNov. 5.

To use the lane, you pay a toll. You must register andaffix a transponder to your windshield. Transponder ispolled at intervals by sensors installed along the lane.

3+ person car pools can ride free; requires checking

your toll mode.

http://www.ajc.com/news/news/i-85-hot-lane-toll-hits-record-850/nbhpY/

Why was this implemented?

As a new regressive tax on an already taxpayer-funded road.

To profile drivers. (The NSA is watching)

To provide incentives to carpool and/or shift when people drive. The roads are often

clogged (rush hour), but they often have ample unused (slack) capacity.

To guarantee a free-flowing lane of traffic for those willing to pay for it.--

Plans to build HOT lanes on I-75 south (Henry /Clayton Counties) and I-75 north (Cobb County.)


4/25


Similar issue with electricity. Green line shows electricity supply. Red line shows

electricity demand. Supply must be over-provisioned to meet peak demand. Same

thing occurs with highways/roads. Graphic from the California Integrated System Operator for August 22, 2006.

Blue line represents more consistent

electricity use.

A key challenge is getting

available supply (i.e., road

capacity) to line up with demand

(i.e., the number of cars.)

5:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 5:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m.

This would

be better


5/25

(Some) Methods to Avoid Over-Provisioning

How to Avoid

Overprovisioning of Supply?Supply

Demand

Smoothed Demand /

Supply

1) Batteries

Produce at a consistent level; storewhat isnt used for later use.(Potentially use electric car batteries here.)

2) Demand Shifting

Create incentives to shift demand sothat demand stays flat.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/17/business/energy-environment/battery-seen-as-way-to-cut-heat-related-power-losses.html


6/25

Demand Shifting and Variable Pricing

Utility changing electricity prices basedon time of day, demand, or other factors.

Would provide incentive forhomeowners to shift consumption to

times when prices are lower. E.g.,run the dishwasher or charge thehouses auxiliary battery at 3:00 a.m.

Need to automate homeowners capacity to handle this. Topic is called

demand response.

One element here is smart meters: Communicateswirelessly with the utility. Allows for automated (and continuous) meter

reading. Allow the utility to tell the homeowners meter the

current price of electricity. Meter (or supplementary control device) can

(theoretically) act as a hub, directing applianceswhen to operate, when to run in low-power mode,

etc.


7/25


Basic idea is to use available resources optimally, eliminating the need togenerate excess resources. Options include:

Identify, aggregate, and make available

underutilized sources of supply. Resources oftenare unused (spare rooms, tools, vehicles) andavailable. The Internet makes this easier thanbefore.

Smooth demand to limit over-provisioning forpeaks. (I.e., shave peaks to fill valleys). Dynamicpricing is one way to incentivize this. Advances ininformation technology make this possible in agrowing range of fields.

E.g., Peach Pass identifies andbills customers wirelessly anddynamically. System could

help smooth demand byshifting when people drive.


8/25

8

Identify theTechnology

Consider theTechnology andthe System in

Which i t Operates

MakePredictions /

IdentifyOpportunities

Forecasting Tools

Invention

Innovation diffusion andtechnology acceptance

Technology platforms, network

effects, and standardsInfrastructure and stakeholderimpact

Sustainability, legal, and

regulatoryEthics and norms

General Framework for the Course


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10/25

23andMe Services Offered

Does my profileresemble other23andMe customers?


11/25

23andMe Business Model

Why only $99? Is thatprofitable?

Asks people to opt-in to anonymous data sharing for research purposes. Surveysmembers to correlate experiences with DNA (e.g., have you had swine flu? Do you thinkcilantro tastes like soap?)

Offers a free test to anyone diagnosed with Parkinsons disease; recruited more than10,000 people. How to monetize this type of data?

23andMe is not yetprofitable. The most value

may lie in the databasethey are amassing.

The long game here is not to make money selling kits,although the kits are essential to get the base level data.Once you have the data, [the company] does actuallybecome the Google of personalized health care.

Patrick Chung, 23andMeboard member

http://www.fastcompany.com/3018598/for-99-this-ceo-can-tell-you-what-might-kill-you-inside-23andme-founder-anne-wojcickis-dna-r

More than 200 million questions have been answered by 23andMe members.

Identify people who are atrisk for Alzheimers before

symptoms manifest,permitting clinical trials ofdrug therapies before thedisease advances too far.

Partner with countries with

single-payer health systems.

Let's say you genotype everyone in Canada the

government is able to identify those segments of thepopulation that are most at risk for Parkinson's. Youcan target them with preventative messages, make surethey're examined more frequently, and in the end livehealthier lives, and the government will save massive(health care) expenses...

Chung


12/25

Compare your DNA to that of others

Analyzed men and womens DNA, focusing on the genes that comprise themajor histocompatability complex (MHC.) These genes affect immunity.The poorer the match, the greater the attraction.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-drpViV5LSw (0:12 to 2:06, 2:25 to 4:01)

Original experiment by Claus Wedekind, Bern University in late 1990s.Who you are attracted to (in this case, via smell) is a function of your DNA (andthe DNA of the other party.)

1 2354


13/25

The Evolutionary Perspective

No overlap =high

attraction

Completeoverlap = low

attraction

Male

Female

Serves as a proxy for kinship; may help prevent inbreeding.

Other benefits besides babies with better immune systems include lesslikelihood of infidelity, more happiness, etc

Children of this pair will have a wide range

of genes and thus of immune responses.

Children of this pair will have a

narrow range of genes.

How do you profit from this?


14/25

Partners with dating web sites. Theidea is to match you with someonewith whom you are biologicallycompatible.http://www.genepartner.com/

For $249, you get a self DNA test (you swab your mouth)

that you send back in. That information is used to matchyou.

GenePartner.com


15/25

Another Scenario

Once you find the partner, would you be interested in his / her argininevasopressin receptor 1a gene?

Youre looking for your perfect match.

Do you swab your mouth and have your DNA analyzed by GenePartner.com or23andMe? (Rhetorical)

Study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found

that men who had two copies of a variant of the gene (RS3 334) were less likelyto be married and more likely to report difficulties in their relationships.

Laboratory mice have been genetically engineered to be monogamous(they arent normally.)

Raises the possibility that infidelity can bepredicted, and perhaps, treated.

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/16/a-commitment-pill/?_r=0


16/25

Technology and Ethics

Item

Parentsofchildrendiagnosedwithattentiondeficitdisorderprovidetheirchildrenwith

psychostimulant drugstoimprovetheirfocusandcognitivefunction.

ParentsofchildrenNOTdiagnosedwithattentiondeficitdisorderprovidetheirchildrenwith

psychostimulant drugsto

improve

their

focus

and

cognitive

function.

AbaseballplayerundergoesLasiksurgerytoimprovehisbatting.

Abaseballplayerusessteroidstoimprovehisbatting.

Researchersgeneticallymodifyacowtoproducemilkwithnobetalactoglobulin,whichisthe

protein

believed

to

trigger

allergic

reactions

in

2

3%

of

infants.Researchersgeneticallyengineerabaldchicken(i.e.,nofeathers)toreducethecostofchicken

meatproduction.

FirstResponseTM augmentsitsathomepregnancyteststoincludeatestforwhetherababywill

haveTaySachsdisease.

FirstResponseTM augments

its

at

home

pregnancy

tests

to

include

atest

for

whether

ababy

will

beaboyoragirl.


17/25

Technology and Ethics

Item Avg. Histogram

Parentsofchildrendiagnosedwithattentiondeficitdisorderprovidetheirchildren

withpsychostimulant drugstoimprovetheirfocusandcognitivefunction.

2.7

ParentsofchildrenNOTdiagnosedwithattentiondeficitdisorderprovidetheir

childrenwith

psychostimulant drugs

to

improve

their

focus

and

cognitive

function.

7.4

AbaseballplayerundergoesLasiksurgerytoimprovehisbatting. 3.1

Abaseballplayerusessteroidstoimprovehisbatting. 8.0

Researchersgeneticallymodifyacowtoproducemilkwithnobetalactoglobulin,

whichistheproteinbelievedtotriggerallergicreactionsin23%ofinfants.

4.4

Researchersgeneticallyengineerabaldchicken(i.e.,nofeathers)toreducethe

costofchickenmeatproduction.

5.9

FirstResponseTM augmentsitsathomepregnancyteststoincludeatestfor

whetherababywillhaveTaySachsdisease.

4.0

FirstResponseTM augmentsitsathomepregnancyteststoincludeatestfor

whetherababywillbeaboyoragirl.

5.4


18/25

Psycho-stimulants to Improve Focus and Cognitive Function

Ethics are well-founded standards of right and wrong that prescribe what humans oughtto do, usually in terms of rights, obligations, benefits to society, fairness, or specificvirtues. What is Ethics?, Issues in Ethics, IIE V1 N1 (Fall 1987); https://books.google.com/ngrams

RightsDo we havethe right tomake thisdecision onbehalf of ourchildren?

ObligationsDo we have theobligation to ourchildren to augmentthem if the drugsenable that?

Benefits to societyDoes improvingchildrens performanceyield benefits tosociety that outweighthe costs?

FairnessIs it fairto augmentsome children but notothers? Is access to thedrugs fairly distributedacross society?

Parentsof

children

diagnosed

with

attention

deficit

disorder

provide

their

children

withpsychostimulant drugstoimprovetheirfocusandcognitivefunction.

ParentsofchildrenNOTdiagnosedwithattentiondeficitdisorderprovidetheir

childrenwithpsychostimulant drugstoimprovetheirfocusandcognitivefunction.

Considerations:

- The differentiator is the diagnosis.- Are the children becoming normal or supernormal? Where is the line?- Are there side effects? Which stimulant?- Who is making the decision?

Psycho-stimulants to improve focus and cognitive function


19/25

Human Augmentation to Improve Sports Performance

Obligations

Are we obligated to play

the game according toour natural abilities, orcan we augment them?

Benefits to society

Does enhanced baseball player

performance yield benefits tosociety that outweigh thecosts? What are the costs?

Fairness

Is it fairto alter your

body via surgery ordrugs to improveathletic performance?

AbaseballplayerundergoesLasiksurgery

toimprovehisbatting.

Abaseballplayerusessteroidstoimprove

hisbatting.

Considerations:- The differentiator is the nature of the augmentation.- Are the players becoming normal or supernormal? Is an unfair advantage gained?

- Are there side effects?

Human augmentation to improve sports performance

Fairness may turn on whether the augmentation restores normal function or

exceeds it. Or it may turn on whether everyone else is doing it.


20/25

Human Augmentation to Improve Sports Performance

http://www.baseballssteroidera.com/bse-memorable-quotes-steroid-related.html

I would say there are only a couple of guyson a team that don't take greenies (speed)before a game. One or two guys. That's

called going out there naked. And you hear itall the time from teammates, 'You're notgoing to play naked, are you?'

Ken Caminiti,former MajorLeague Baseballplayer, admitted

steroid user (deadof substanceabuse at age 41.)

At the time, no. I viewed it as a levelplaying field. I looked up the definition ofcheat. The definition of cheat is to gain anadvantage over a rival or foe. I didn't do

that. I viewed it as a level playing field.

Lance Armstrong,former Tour de Francewinner, on whether hefelt that his doping

constituted cheating


21/25

Genetic Modification of Animals


Researchersgeneticallymodifyacowto

producemilkwithnobetalactoglobulin,

whichistheproteinbelievedtotrigger

allergic

reactions

in

2

3%

of

infants.Researchersgeneticallyengineerabald

chicken(i.e.,nofeathers)toreducethecost

ofchickenmeatproduction.

Considerations:- The differentiators are how is the animal changed andfor what purpose?

- Is this different from more traditional breeding / artificialselection? Does precedent matter?

Genetic modif ication of animals

Rights

Do we havethe right togeneticallyalter animals?

Obligations

Do we have theobligation to producehealthier and cheaperfood if we can?

Benefits to society

Does modifying theanimals yield benefitsto society thatoutweigh the costs?

Fairness

Is it fairtothe animalsto alterthem?


22/25

Prenatal Genetic Screening


FirstResponseTM augmentsitsathomepregnancy

teststoincludeatestforwhetherababywill

haveTaySachsdisease.

FirstResponseTM augmentsitsathomepregnancy

teststo

include

atest

for

whether

ababy

will

be

a

boyoragirl.

Considerations:- The differentiator is what information is revealed and how will it might be used.

- Cultural issues come into play.- Does the maker of the test have ethical responsibility?

Prenatal genetic screening

Rights

For what types ofconditions do wehave the right toscreen unbornchildren?

Obligations

For what types ofconditions do we havethe obligation to screenunborn children?

Benefits to society

Which yields morebenefits to society:screening or notscreening? Doesthis differ by culture?

Fairness

Is this fair(forthe child, for theparents, for thewealthy vs. thepoor)?


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Prenatal Genetic Screening

Whats different?

Normative pressure to prefer sons over daughters in rural parts of India andChina.

Gender determination technologies available (ultrasound) since 1980s.

Figures for Indian state of Punjab. (see Rogers, Diffusion of Innovations, 5th ed., p. 117)

Ratio of boy children to girl children

in Punjab.

1991: 114 to 100

2001: 126 to 100http://www.gapminder.org/world/ (sex ratio 0-14 yrs; crude birth rate)

Recent advancements in DNA sequencing permit sequencing of fetal genomeusing a blood sample from the expectant mother. If the data can meaningfully

predict child characteristics

There are some scenarios that areextremely troubling (regarding) who deserves to be born.

Marcy Darnovsky, associateexecutive director of the Centerfor Genetics and Society

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/07/health/tests-of-parents-are-used-to-map-genes-of-a-fetus.html


24/25

Norms and Ethics

Societal norms are the rules that a group uses for appropriate and inappropriatevalues, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. These rules may be explicit or implicit. Failure tofollow the rules can result in severe punishments, including exclusion from the group.(http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/social_norms.htm)

Norms and ethics may be codified as laws: Dont steal, dont commit murder, etc.

Examples:

Face the doors when riding on the elevator. Cheer an injured player as s/he leaves the

field.

Norms may not always be ethical, or have an ethical basis.


25/25

Norms and Ethics

The ethics involved in the use of new technologies affects their emergence orlack thereof.

No clear cut answers, but ethical issues can be forecast (somewhat) andtherefore planned for based on:

- Rights- Obligations- Benefits to society- Fairness

These may vary across cultures or demographic groups. Important forforecasting where a technology will be deemed appropriate.

Documents

Session+ 22+ +Norms+and+Ethics+ +Part+2