Accountabilty–being responsible or answerable for a system’s existence, behavior, and impacts–lies at the core of technical ethics. This week’s module focuses on the idea of accountability in technology companies and their efforts to ensure ethical and lawful use of their technologies. We also being to unpack the idea of accountability obfuscation: where technologies are viewed as separate from their creators.

Part 1 - Complete the Pre-Discussion Activity

Everyone is required to complete this pre-discussion activity. Please listen to an episode of the Cold Call from the Harvard Business Review. The audio recording and transcript are available at the link below. While you are listening, consider the following questions:

  • What had you heard about the 737 Max controversy prior to listening to this podcast?
  • In a distributed decision making entity like Boeing, who is accountable for the mistakes that were made? Is accountability limited to just the company itself? To its employees? To certification entities?
  • Can you think of other instances in your life or in news stories you’ve consumed where accountability was called into question?

Part 2 - Attend your Discussion Section

You should have registered for a discussion section this week by joining the appropriate Canvas group. Switching sessions is not allowed (unless there is a direct academic conflict or emergency) and attendance at your registered section is required and you must be in-attendance for the entirety of the session. For questions about discussion sections please post on edSTEM (if it’s a general question) or email Prof. Bain (connor.bain@northwestern.edu) if it’s specific to your case.

Part 3 - Submit your Self Reflection

After attending your discussion section, be sure to return here to complete this self-reflection. Reflect on your discussion section (200 words): What stood out most to you? What did you learn? How do you think we can balance the benefits of technological advancement with the need for accountability and responsibility among tech companies? Make sure to submit your thoughts either via text entry or file upload in Canvas.

Additionally, feel free to provide any feedback you have on how the discussion went.

1. Assigned Readings