Blog 2: Algorithms and Ethics

http://qz.com/343750/the-ethical-blindness-of-algorithms/

This article discusses how new technology is being used to classify everything from shoppers, burglars, travelers, and even drivers. It attempts to answer the question of whether an algorithm can be racist. For supermarkets, it has always been important to be able to identify their markets. However, with new technology today, it is possible to define each individual customer by certain characteristics and group them in ethnic groups. Computers can now decide who should be included in certain sales based on their ethnic origins and their buying history. When algorithms track purchase histories and even credit card payments, they have been programmed to place individuals in groups based on race, gender, and ethnicity. This creates ethical issues as each person begins to be placed in groups that he or she may not actually belong in. A computer does not know the difference between racism and non-racism, and therefore can improperly group those who do not belong in certain categories. The issue here is that companies are being accused of racism and using the excuse that since it is a computer making the decisions, they cannot be held accountable. This does not seem like a valid response, as all computer are programmed by humans. It is unethical to group ethnicities simply based on their buying patterns or credit card payments. This behavior unfairly categorizes certain races as always being late on payments, or always buying certain commodities simply because they belong to a specific race or ethnicity.

Blog 1: Ethics of Jail Cell Architecture

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/17/arts/design/prison-architecture-and-the-question-of-ethics.html?_r=0

This is an article about ethical issues surrounding architects who design and build jails. The first part of the article discusses a petition that the American Institute of Architects rejected. The petition would have censured members who were involved with designing death chambers and solitary-confinement cells. The institute decided that it was not up to them whether their members should be able to take part in these projects. Rather, the institute stated that its members' ethics should determine whether this is a type of project they want to take part in.

The article also discussed the code of ethics that architectural organizations hold regarding project such as jail cells. The companies that build jail cells and solitary confinement buildings are, according to this article, more interested in making money than sticking to ethical standards for human rights. This has lead to an ethics issue for architects who want to be involved in these sort of projects in order to make the world a better place. As the first chapter of our textbook describes, ethics is a very personal set of beliefs that stem from our childhood. Therefore, it is not right for an institute such as the American Institute of Architects to decide for their members what is or is not ethical.