A selection of articles, op-eds, TV segments, and other media featuring Ethics Center staff and programs.
The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics does not advocate for any product, company, or organization. Our engagements are intended to provide training, customized materials, and other resources. The Markkula Center does not offer certifications or seals of approval.
NEWSnet Hawaii reports, ethical guidelines to ensure the transparent, fair, and safe use of AI are evolving across industries, and notes that even the Vatican collaborated with the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics to recommend specific steps for companies to navigate AI technologies ethically.
The Ethics Center's Institute for Technology, Ethics, and Culture (ITEC) was referenced by NEWSnet Hawaii.
Super Bowl LX has brought national attention to Levi's Stadium and the city of Santa Clara. As the game approaches, KQED summarizes seven of the primary reasons behind years of conflict between the San Fransisco 49'ers and the city of Santa Clara that have led to multiple lawsuits, criminal convictions, and more. Ann Skeet, senior director of the Leadership Ethics program speaks to KQED about how upcoming council and mayor election results could affect Santa Clara’s relationship with the team.
“Publicly elected officials are supposed to put the public’s interest first and think largely about what their city’s needs are, the city of Santa Clara,” Skeet said. “But they sit on this stadium authority board, and then they have to think about what’s in the best interest of the stadium, and sometimes those things conflict.”
Ann Skeet, senior director, leadership ethics quoted by KQED.
At "The Leading Edge: AI & Data Analytics in E&C" conference held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Jan. 28-29, Compliance Week hosted more than 100 senior-level compliance executives for a conversation around the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in their organizations.
Ann Skeet, senior director, leadership ethics was a panelist at the event, and discussed what businesses should do to address the trust issues that have beset AI tools, particularly generative AI. Skeet prompted a thoughtful discussion about what steps businesses should take to ensure that the use of AI tools is done ethically wherever possible.
Ann Skeet, senior director, leadership ethics was a panelist at "The Leading Edge: AI & Data Analytics in E&C" conference hosted by Compliance Week.
Stockton Unified School District Trustee Kennetha Stevens voted on contracts for a nonprofit totaling more than $130,000 – a nonprofit for which she serves on the board
"Disclosure isn't optional in public service," says Davina Hurt, Ethics Center director of government ethics. "If you're voting to send public money to an organization you help govern, the public has a right to know before the vote."
"From an ethics standpoint, the concern is whether the trustee's actions preserve public trust," Hurt said. "Even when conduct is technically legal, undisclosed dual loyalties can create the appearance of hidden influence, which erodes confidence in democratic institutions."
Davina Hurt, director, government ethics, quoted by The Stockton Record.
The acting director of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Madhu Gottumukkala, is facing industry scrutiny after accidentally uploading government documents marked ‘For Official Use Only’, into a public version of ChatGPT, according to reports.
The documents appearance inside a public AI platform triggered internal security alerts and assessment by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees CISA.
Irina Raicu, director, internet ethics warns, "Education about the privacy and cybersecurity implications of AI usage has been largely missing from the massive push toward AI adoption. And what this incident shows is that organizations and individuals don’t seem to learn from each others’ documented failures."
Irina Raicu, director, internet ethics, quoted by KBI Media.
Nikkei News Agency reports responses from U.S. technology companies are divided over the incident in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where federal agents enforcing immigration laws have shot and killed protesters. Some company executives and employees are voicing protests, while others are avoiding criticism.
Skeet says, "corporate executives are weighing exercising moral leadership during crises against the risk of becoming the president's target, and many are choosing silence."
Senior Director, Leadership Ethics Ann Skeet quoted by the Nikkei News Agency.
Military Archbishop Timothy Broglio's recent statements on conscientious objection demonstrate the relevance of Catholic moral teaching for Catholics who oppose authoritarianism, writes David E. DeCosse, for the National Catholic Reporter.
On Jan. 18 on the BBC's "Sunday" program, American Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio said of Catholic personnel in the United States military who could be ordered to attack Greenland: "Within the realm of their own conscience, it would be morally acceptable to disobey that order."
Broglio's comment was a brave intervention in the ludicrous-if-it-were-not-so-catastrophic Trumpian drive to conquer the land of a longtime ally. But the archbishop's appeal to conscience is also a prophetic moment in the development of Catholic moral teaching on war and peace and in signaling the relevance of such teaching for Catholic opposition to the authoritarian political rule now besetting this country.
David DeCosse, director, religious and Catholic ethics, published by National Catholic Reporter.
Professional rock climber Alex Honnold plans to climb Taipei 101–the earthquake-proof skyscraper of steel and glass–without ropes or protective gear.
"It’s important that Honnold has a “back-off clause” and the production aspect of the event doesn’t increase the risk he’s already taking," says Subbu Vincent, director of journalism and media ethics. Vincent believes it is crucial to use a delay in the live broadcast so it can be stopped immediately if something goes wrong.
“I don’t think it’s ethical to proceed to livestream anything after,” Vincent said.
Subbu Vincent, director, journalism and media ethics, quoted by The Associated Press, and shared by other media outlets, including ABC News.
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