IEEE: Perspectives on
Technology, Society, and Ethics
Assoc. Prof. Greg Adamson
IEEE Board of Directors Ethics Championgreg.adamson@unimelb.edu.auWhy Society and Ethics are important to IEEE
• IEEE has 400,000 members across 160+ countries, including over
100,000 in this region.
• IEEE spends significant effort addressing how technologies areused, not just supporting the professional interests andtechnologies of its members.

• Its tagline is Advancing Technology for the Benefit of Humanity• While IEEE first adopted a Code of Ethics in 1912, in 2017 it updated
this Code to address key challenges of the 21st century.

• I will provide examples, including of a new program, DigitalInclusion through Trust and Agency, to show how IEEE is working to
make these changes a reality.

Holding the public interest paramount• In 2017 IEEE underwent an extensive program reviewing its Code ofEthics. While prompted by consideration of artificial intelligence,
the review looked at several other areas of responsibility.
• IEEE previously required members “to accept responsibility inmaking decisions consistent with the safety, health, and welfare ofthe public”. Through the process of review this was strengthened,“to hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public”.
• For IEEE members, this creates a direct link between the individual
and the public interest.

Non-discrimination• IEEE’s Code of Ethics was originally adopted more than 100 years
ago. It has been amended several times to maintain relevance.
• Prior to the 2017 review, the Code already required members “totreat fairly all persons and to not engage in acts of discrimination
based on race, religion, gender, disability, age, national origin,sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression”• This applies in all circumstances, from treatment of the publicthrough the operation of technologies to treatment of current andpotential work colleagues

Ethical design and sustainable development• Another change in 2017 which reflected the practice of IEEE in
recent years was “to strive to comply with ethical design andsustainable development practices”.
• Through its Global Initiative on Ethics of Autonomous andIntelligent Systems, IEEE has widely promoted the concept ofethical design.
• Reference to sustainable development practices, generallyassociated with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, aligns
IEEE to this universally important initiative.

Understanding of technology• In addition, the statement on understanding of technology wassignificantly broadened: beyond encouraging a general“understanding of technology” among an undefined audience, thechanges call on members “to improve the understanding byindividuals and society of the capabilities and societal implicationsof conventional and emerging technologies, including intelligentsystems”.
• To achieve this requires among other things an engagement inpublic policy development, something that IEEE has commenced inrecent years, and which is now supported in the Code.
• The inclusion of “intelligent systems” represents the fundamental
shift IEEE sees coming with these technologies.

Digital Inclusion through Trust and Agency (DITA)• As indicated in its Code of Ethics, IEEE has a unique position: being
the largest global association of professionals working withtechnologies; and addressing the impact of those technologies.
• The program Digital Inclusion through Trust and Agency (DITA) is an
example of the special role IEEE can play based on this uniqueposition.
• “Cyberspace”, the digital world, emerged in the second half of the20th Century. Access to this on-line world, this world of
information, is a precondition for engagement in the 21st Century
global community.
• IEEE has adopted as policy the aspiration of Internet for All.
• The DITA program works across the gamut of issues, including
access, trust, and human dignity.

Workstreams in DITA
• The DITA program takes an end to end view of the challenge,addressing many environments. One of the most important ismaintaining human dignity in design of human-to-machine andmachine-to-machine handling of identity, including privacy. Cyber
security is a key aspect.
• This area has proven of particular interest to lawyers working withtechnology. Technologies considered include IoT and Blockchain.
• DITA is also paying particular attention to health technologies
including pharmaceutical supply chain provenance.
• DITA is modelled on IEEE’s highly successful Global Initiative onEthics of Autonomous and Intelligent Systems, which resulted in amajor report prepared by 250 global experts.

Digital Inclusion workstreams• DITA’s workstreams include:– Affordability: of technology (for network builders); of access (forInternet users); in network sustainability.
– Accessibility: addressing digital divide, especially urban/rural;and barriers of wealth, authority, literacy and gender inequality.
• Dr Sarbani Banerjee from IIT-Bombay leads these two streams. Her
team has implemented a 25 village pilot identifying relevant
technologies and a planning tool to match specific local geography
to technology.
• Her approach provides broadband (2Mbps) to village families.
• Frugal 5G is a technology that sits across both workstreams.

IEEE Foundation (philanthropic) programs• The IEEE Foundation is driving a number of important programs:• IEEE Smart Village, an initiative to bring electrical power, access toeducation, and participation in the global economy to more than
50,000 people in remote, energy-deprived communities• EPICS in IEEE assists communities in achieving improvements,
encouraging students to pursue careers in engineering forcommunity enhancement,• IEEE Power & Energy Scholarship Plus Initiative, to develop thenext generation of power leaders, has provided millions of dollars inscholarships to nearly 1,000 electrical engineering students.
• REACH offers pre-university social studies teachers free access toeducational resources that promote the relationship between
engineering, technology, and society.

Benefits of multi-disciplinary approaches• There are many initiatives addressing similar tasks around theworld.
• IEEE’s unique position is that it is a professional membership basedorganisation, working in the day to day fields of its members• DITA adopts an inclusive approach, seeking social scientists,
lawyers, economists, health professionals and other professions• IEEE depends on members and others to identify the problems towork on. Collaboration with ADB is of great interest, because theproblems ADB addresses are important and challenging, and occur
in the real world.

Links•IEEE Code of Ethics: https://www.ieee.org/about/corporate/governance/p7-8.html•

IEEE Smart Village: http://ieee-smart-village.org/•

Digital Inclusion through Trust and Agency:
http://standards.ieee.org/develop/indconn/digital_inclusion/•

IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology: http://technologyandsociety.org/•

IEEE Global Initiative on Ethics of Autonomous and Intelligent Systems:
https://ethicsinaction.ieee.org/•

IEEE Foundation: https://www.ieeefoundation.org/•

EPICS in IEEE: http://epics.ieee.org/•IEEE Power and Energy Society: https://www.ieee-pes.org/•REACH: www.ee-scholarship.org•IEEE Power & Energy Scholarship Plus Initiative: www.ee-scholarship.org

Some recent IEEE SSIT engagements

Shri Narayana Murthy and Greg Adamson; Bengaluru, 27March 2018

Greg Adamson, University of Melbourne; Shani Fernando,University of Colombo; Thavisha De Silva, Sri Lanka Institute ofInformation Technology; ManoRanjana De Silva, NSBM Green
University; Yasumi Wickramasinghe, University of Moratuwa;
Colombo, 2 April 2018.