Zone 1 Truth Disinformation and Propaganda

The Ethical OS risk Zone 1 is concerned with how people are viewing information online and how it can be manipulated to confuse and purposefully mislead people. CHT’s AI analysis refers to a ‘Breakdown of Shared Understanding’. This is when it becomes difficult for members of society to agree on what reality is. AI use is obviously making this even more complicated as some people may find it hard to recognize the difference between something real and something AI generated. This can lead to distrust of others among the public and not knowing who to believe.

The article Why and How is the Power of Big Tech Increasing in the Policy Process (Khanal et al., 2024) describes how technology companies are extremely wealthy and many hold a monopoly on the spread of information. This allows big tech companies to manipulate what information the public sees. It also allows them to funnel more money and power in their direction and to take hold of the political landscape. By controlling what content is viewable by the user and hiding other information, big tech companies can lead the public to believe certain things are priorities in political discourse while completely erasing other items of interest. The control over social media and tech in general gives them control over our democracy.

Zone 2 Addiction and the Dopamine Economy

Risk zone 2 is concerned with how social media is affecting human interaction and the psychological well-being of people. The CHT addresses social media’s effect on the brain and how basic biology is affected by the regular use of social media. This is being looked at even more closely when it comes to young people with underdeveloped brains. Persuasive technology and the algorithm are purposefully designed to keep us scrolling through these apps. It is meant to be addictive in order to prolong usage.

Anne Lembke in The Social Dilemma tells us the potential for addiction is high based on the release of dopamine in the reward pathways. This documentary really dove into how children are being manipulated and there are no repercussions or regulations being aimed against these tech companies’ predatory actions. Whether we want to blame social media for the mental health crisis or not, their actions are predatory. By intentionally trying to draw in children these companies are potentially hooking them for life and substantially affecting their brain development.

Zone 3 Economic and Asset Inequalities

Risk zone 3 is concerned with how the rise of technology can lead to certain groups being left behind when it comes to access to technology. In the article The Digital Divide is a Social Justice Issue (Sanders & Scanlon, 2021) we were introduced to how the internet is a tool necessary to everyday living in the current world. Without regular access to high speed wi-fi it becomes difficult to complete normal tasks, such as banking, completing school work, or just connecting with other people. This article suggests the internet should be publicly owned in order to allow for equal access to information. It also suggests that the lack of access mostly affects lower income and minority populations. This means the technology inequality is affecting those who are already most affected by injustices.

Sieck et al. (2021) explain that exclusion from technology is a major indicator of poor health. They describe how access to technology is imperative to supporting those with health issues. Many doctors offices and hospitals today insist on using patient portals and other forms of technology that can be difficult to use if a person is not digitally literate. Lack of access to technology affects everyone’s ability to maintain good health and job security.

Zone 7 Implicit Trust and User Understanding

Risk zone 7 is concerned with the way technology will be implemented within social work and how the client can trust that their rights are being considered. After Covid-19 led to the creation of new protocols and the prevalent use of telehealth services the need for regulation around these things became necessary. Reamer’s article, Artificial Intelligence in Social Work: Emerging Ethical Issues (2023) explores the topics of informed consent and client autonomy, among others. This is important because this kind of technology use among social workers is so new there are often no implicit guidelines on how to proceed. Reamer leads social workers towards some ethical guides to help ensure informed consent and client autonomy are upheld when using AI.

In the article Digital Transformation in Social Work: Integrating Technology for Enhanced Practice, Outreach, and Education by Iranna Ronad, the many changes to social work by way of technology are referenced. The importance of acknowledging the digital divide and offering literacy training for clients is mentioned and is a major point when it comes to trust of the client. Ronad discusses the many emerging technologies and their positive influence on the social work profession as a whole while also acknowledging the need for “recommendations for its effective and ethical use while preserving the core human-cantered values of the profession.” Trust and user understanding are imperative to upholding those values.