Stretch tasks Ethics and the impact of technology

Round 1: Quiz Blitz

1. An elderly person living alone in a remote village with no broadband Age, income, where you live and disability all affect access to devices, internet and skills.
2. False Ethical questions are about right and wrong, and reasonable people disagree. That is why you must argue both sides.
3. Electronic devices that have been thrown away E-waste is discarded electronics, which often contain toxic materials.
4. Mining rare earth metals damages habitats; Data centres use huge amounts of electricity Mining and electricity use are harms. The other three are real environmental benefits.
5. Video calls replacing business flights Technology can cut emissions when it replaces travel or paper.
6. Residents without internet access or digital skills This is the digital divide in action: the people who most need help can be the least able to get it online.
7. Give a benefit → Give a drawback → Name the specific group affected → Finish with a judgement Both sides, a specific group, and a judgement: that is what lifts an impact answer to the top level.
8. It contains toxic materials such as lead and mercury Toxic metals can leak into soil and water, especially where e-waste is broken up by hand.
9. True Fewer new devices means less mining, less manufacturing energy and less e-waste.
10. It is unclear who is responsible: the owner, the maker or the programmer Responsibility used to belong to the driver. When software drives, the answer is no longer obvious.
11. digital divide The digital divide grows as more essential services move online.
12. People are tracked without consent, and mistakes can wrongly identify innocent people The other three are arguments for it. A strong answer weighs both.

Round 2: Quick Fire

1. • The gap between people with access to technology and the skills to use it, and those without
   • A group such as elderly people, low income households, rural communities or disabled people
   Model answer

   The digital divide is the gap between people who have reliable internet, suitable devices and the skills to use them, and people who do not. Elderly people are one group strongly affected.

2. • A benefit, such as new features or the latest security updates
   • A drawback, such as e-waste, mining damage or cost
   Model answer

   A benefit is getting the latest features and security updates. A drawback is the environmental damage: more e-waste and more mining for rare metals to make new phones.

3. • They use huge amounts of electricity to run thousands of servers
   • They need cooling, and much of the power comes from fossil fuels, adding to emissions
   Model answer

   Data centres run thousands of servers day and night, which uses huge amounts of electricity. They also need constant cooling, and if the power comes from fossil fuels it adds to carbon emissions.

4. • For: it protects the company, for example from leaks of data or bullying
   • Against: it invades privacy and damages trust
   Model answer

   For: it helps protect the company, for example by spotting data leaks or bullying. Against: it invades employees' privacy and shows a lack of trust.

Round 3: Big Think

1. • Benefits, such as access anywhere, quick feedback and saving paper
   • Students without a device or broadband cannot do it
   • A specific group, such as low income families or siblings sharing one device
   • A solution, such as paper copies, a homework club or loaned devices
   • A clear judgement
   Model answer

   Online homework has real benefits: students can get to it anywhere, teachers can give quick feedback and it saves paper. However, students without a suitable device or home broadband cannot do it, and this falls hardest on low income families, where several siblings may be sharing one phone. Those students would fall behind through no fault of their own. Overall, the school should go ahead only if it keeps an alternative, such as printed copies, a homework club with computers, or devices on loan.

2. • It is fast, and can handle thousands of applications
   • It applies the same rules to everyone
   • It could avoid some human prejudice, mood or tiredness
   • It can learn bias from past hiring data and treat groups unfairly
   • It may reject good candidates who do not fit its pattern
   • Its decisions can be hard to explain, and it is unclear who is responsible
   • It lacks human judgement of qualities such as personality
   • A reasoned conclusion
   Model answer

   An algorithm is fast and efficient: it can sort thousands of applications in minutes, and it applies the same criteria to everyone, so it is not affected by the mood or tiredness of a human reader. However, if it is trained on past hiring data it can learn the bias in that data and discriminate unfairly against some groups. It may also reject excellent candidates whose applications do not fit the pattern it expects, and when it rejects someone it can be hard to explain why, or to say who is responsible. It cannot judge qualities such as personality the way a person can. On balance, an algorithm could help sort applications, but a human should make the final decision and check the results for bias.

This or That

1. Should employers read their staff's messages? An ethical question asks what is right and has no single answer. A technical one can be measured.
2. Moving essential services online only When services go online only, people without internet access or skills are shut out.
3. In countries with weaker environmental protections Much e-waste is shipped abroad, where its lead and mercury pollute the land and water.
4. They use enormous amounts of electricity Data centres run day and night and use vast amounts of electricity, including for cooling.
5. Damaged habitats and polluted water Rare earth metals are mined, and the mining damages habitats and pollutes water.
6. A judgement Give both sides, name the group affected, then finish with a judgement.
7. It changes lives and may be unfair Decisions about jobs, loans and university places change lives, so fairness and responsibility matter.
8. Increases mining and e-waste Short replacement cycles make manufacturing, mining and e-waste worse.

Memory Match

• A 4 Digital divide: The gap between people with and without access
• B 3 E-waste: Thrown away electronics that contain toxic materials
• C 2 Data centre: A building full of servers using huge amounts of power
• D 6 Ethics: Questions of right and wrong, beyond the law
• E 1 Automation: Machines doing work that people used to do
• F 5 Facial recognition: Identifying people from pictures of their faces