The Societal Responsibilities of Computational Modelers: Human Values and Professional Codes of Ethics

Abstract

Information and communication technology (ICT) has increasingly important implications for our everyday lives, with the potential to both solve existing social problems and create new ones. This article focuses on one particular group of ICT professionals, computational modelers, and explores how these ICT professionals perceive their own societal responsibilities. Specifically, the article uses a mixed‐method approach to look at the role of professional codes of ethics and explores the relationship between modelers’ experiences with, and attitudes toward, codes of ethics and their values. Statistical analysis of survey data reveals a relationship between modelers’ values and their attitudes and experiences related to codes of ethics. Thematic analysis of interviews with a subset of survey participants identifies two key themes: that modelers should be faithful to the reality and values of users and that codes of ethics should be built from the bottom up. One important implication of the research is that those who value universalism and benevolence may have a particular duty to act on their values and advocate for, and work to develop, a code of ethics.

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