
By José Roger Flahaux, Brian Patrick Green, and Ann Skeet
"Ethics in the Age of Disruptive Technologies: An Operational Roadmap,” or, more briefly, the “ITEC Handbook,” offers organizations a strategic plan to enhance ethical management practices, empowering them to navigate the complex landscape of disruptive technologies such as AI, machine learning, encryption, tracking, and others while upholding strong ethical standards.
"A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon this world." ~Albert Camus
“Wild Beasts” analyzes current events from the perspective of applied ethics. Who is responsible for creating a sustainable future for AI? Why are state legislators passing restrictive voting bills? What is woke capitalism? Who ought to have control over our bodies in virtual reality? What is the fate of social media?


In a webinar recorded May 23, 2023 students from the 2022-23 Business Ethics Internship, Environmental Ethics Fellowship, Government Ethics Fellowship, and Hackworth Fellowship each presented a brief overview of their year-long, ethics-focused projects and internship placements. View student projects and explore their video presentations.

Throughout history, new technologies have disrupted society in different ways–some positively and some negatively–from steam-powered engines and electricity, to the Internet, and now again with artificial intelligence (AI); generative AI in particular in this instance. The creation of art, journalism, education, and the very truth itself have all been tested by the use of ChatGPT and other generative AIs. Markkula Center staff and scholars unpack some of the many related ethical dilemmas in this Ethics Spotlight.

The gun debate has again reached a fever pitch in the shadow of several horrific mass shootings. Ethics Center staff and faculty interrogate the moral and ethical issues associated with gun use and regulation.

While vaccines provide protection for individuals and communities against severe disease and death, this fight is far from over as we see infection rates climb, especially among children who cannot be vaccinated. Ethics Center staff and scholars analyze the critical questions in this Ethics Spotlight.

Three panelists consider questions regarding human flourishing, how we understand individual and humanity’s purpose in relation to emerging AI technologies, and where the fear of AI arises from.

A snapshot, one year after the public release of ChatGPT

The defeat of the Open AI Board shows that in the battle between AI profits and ethics, it’s no contest.

Ethics Helps Companies Operationalize ESG Reporting
Companies are under extreme pressure from customers, investors, and the government to begin accounting for how they are performing in these non-financial matters, and this new set of resources will help them more efficiently operationalize ESG reporting.

Ethics Center Advisory Board Member Roey Rahmil ’07, J.D., draws on his professional experience as a litigator in explaining the importance of ethics.

Emeritus Advisory Board Member Michael E. Fox Sr. passed away on Nov. 3, 2023.

Professor Brad Joondeph and Judicial Ethicist Jeremy Fogel discuss recent judicial conduct and the need for a Supreme Court Code of Ethics in this Oct. 27 event co-hosted by the Ethics Center and the Santa Clara School of Law.
This teaching module for business ethics, leadership and management courses includes two videos, homework assignments, and class discussion, all designed to spark conversation about ethical issues associated with whistleblowers and corporate governance.

Our Culture Self-Assessment Practice recommends approaches to evaluating culture for ethics within companies and other types of organizations. The materials are primarily for members of an organization’s leadership team, including human resources and legal, but designed to engage a cross-section of leaders from various disciplines.

Irina Raicu, director, internet ethics, quoted by CNBC.

Betty Li Hou ‘22 (2021-22 Hackworth Fellow), featured in an article by The New York Academy of Sciences.

Brian Green, director, technology ethics and Ann Skeet, senior director, leadership ethics, featured on the Nonconformist Innovation Podcast.
...often difficult to spot, but noticed by those in search of them.
The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University exists to help people see, understand, and work through ethical problems.
As an introduction to thinking ethically, we have created a framework for ethical decision making.
