How Will You Use Technology to Shape Our Future?

When generative AI burst onto the scene a few years ago and tools like ChatGPT began to fill essay pages at the touch of a button, first we were dazzled – and then we were worried.

What would this mean for the future of critical thinking? When were we allowed to use generative AI to help complete an assignment? What was right and what was wrong? Commented Edward J., a high school student reflecting on Wharton Global Youth’s AI content and business ethics: “We are in another era of revolution, and it’s up to us to make sure we wield this authority with responsibility.”

As AI and technological advances become an integral part of our lives, so too do the related ethical implications – that balance between tech domination led by profit-driven goals and what is best and just for society.

The issues go well beyond students using AI to write essays. Challenges include preventing discriminatory algorithmic biases in hiring practices and elsewhere, safeguarding personal data privacy, and creating technology that maximizes societal benefits and serves human needs. Today’s AP Computer Science students are tomorrow’s coders, software developers, tech engineers, and corporate decision makers.

Teaching Python Is Not Enough

Sharon Chae Haver, who has a dual degree in international studies and business from the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton School, has been giving a lot of thought to the intersection of ethics and technology — so much so that she and her husband, a teacher, have launched Students for Ethical Use of Technology. Their nonprofit advocates for educational programming for high school students to provide a well-rounded understanding of the impact of data and technology on shaping the future.

“We agree that people need to understand the fundamentals of computer science,” notes Haver, who works with data scientists, programmers and business owners in her job as a senior director in management consulting. “But it’s not enough for us to teach kids Python or the principles of computer science, or how to create the next blockbuster app. We need to teach them the impact of what they’re creating.”

Ethics in technology is not about rejecting innovation, stresses Haver, it’s about thoughtfully integrating technological advances with a comprehensive understanding of the potential impacts and responsibilities.

Here are 3 key takeaways from Wharton Global Youth’s conversation with Haver:

1️⃣  Ethical technology use involves minimizing harm and maximizing benefits across three key areas: future technology developers, current technology users, and business decision-makers. “Today’s students are going to be the next Mark Zuckerbergs and Elon Musks,” says Haver. “They are going to be executing on tech-driven visions, or they are going to be the visionaries themselves.”

2️⃣  Ethics in technology education is not just about technical skills, but understanding the broader historical, social and philosophical implications of tech innovations. “We can’t have that ethical compass without also educating people about the history and philosophical ideas around developing these technologies,” notes Haver, who has found inspiration from the author Yuval Noah Harari, author of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind and Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow. “This needs to be part of what we teach so people can make informed decisions.”

3️⃣ Students should approach technology with a balanced perspective – neither completely rejecting nor blindly embracing new tools but always considering the potential consequences of technological applications. “Have a healthy sense of skepticism,” suggests Haver. “Again, put it through that filter of maximizing excellence or benefits, and minimizing harm or danger.”

Some wonder if the legal system could provide a guiding light around technology and ethics. Amy Sepinwall, a Wharton associate professor of legal studies and business ethics, uses her background in both law and philosophy to help students think foundationally about right and wrong and understand moral justice.

Dr. Sepinwall observes that students are “unavoidably drawn” to wanting to know what the law says about ethically charged issues. They believe that the law will always step in to make sure nothing bad happens. She pushes back on that idea. “They think that if something really is immoral, then a law will prohibit it,” says Sepinwall. “In business ethics, we have to say no to that. At best, the law is providing a floor, and sometimes the right thing to do is not the thing that you are legally required to do, but it is still the thing you ought to do anyway.”

From where Professor Sepinwall stands, the next generation of business leaders, while not always willing to voice moral judgment, is both earnest and ethical. “I think they see working in business as a way of making the world better. Sometimes that’s for lofty reasons, like providing clean water in developing countries. Maybe they want to make the next iPhone, which is massively important to the world too. They see business as a force for good.”

That’s why, adds Haver, it’s important to start having these deeper conversations around tech and ethics and realizing that rapid advancements in technology can have unintended negative consequences. “We must prepare our future business leaders to navigate the emerging technological complexities.”

Conversation Starters

What principles would guide your decisions as a future technology developer?

How much of your digital footprint are you comfortable with others accessing?

What responsibilities do technology creators have to society?

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