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Markkula Center for Applied Ethics

Institute for Technology, Ethics, and Culture (ITEC)

 

The Institute for Technology, Ethics and Culture (ITEC), housed at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, is a collaboration between the Center and the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education. The Institute convenes leaders from business, civil society, academia, government, and all faith and belief traditions, to promote deeper thought on technology’s impact on humanity.

In today's rapidly evolving technological landscape organizations face unique ethical challenges around matters of privacy, equity, transparency, and accountability.

A Deloitte study on trust and ethics in technology revealed that while business leaders are aggressively moving forward on implementing and using emerging technologies, nearly 90% of those surveyed lack a framework to support the implementation of ethical principles to guide its development and use. The ITEC Initiative was created to fill that void and assist organizations.

For 37 years, the Markkula Center has been known for its work helping corporations apply ethical thinking and create positive change, collaborating with companies like Salesforce, IBM and Microsoft on efforts related to ethical standards in design, development and deployment of technology. Drawing on this work, the Ethics Center conducted primary research, interviews and conferred with many corporations to produce a handbook.

Two-Thirds of Americans Surveyed are Concerned With AI’s Impact on the Human Race

Eighty-three Percent Believe AI Should be Government Regulated

A new report, Ethics in the Age of AI,  outlines how Americans feel about artificial intelligence (AI) from an ethical standpoint. The Markkula Center and its Institute for Technology, Ethics, and Culture (ITEC) surveyed 3,000 Americans aged 18+ and found that they have concerns about the technology’s impact on the human race.

Access Report Findings

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Ethics in the Age of Disruptive Technologies: An Operational Roadmap

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.

The ITEC Handbook is available as a free PDF download, or purchase an eBook or print-on-demand edition from Amazon.

Download the ITEC Handbook

Outline of a human form in lights and connected dots.
Navigate here to ITEC Primer

A condensed excerpt from “Ethics in the Age of Disruptive Technologies: An Operational Roadmap."

Overview
Navigate here to Overview of the Five Stages of the ITEC Roadmap

A high-level overview of the five stages and the four appendices of the ITEC Operationalization Roadmap.

ITEC Principles and How to Use Them: Anchoring, Guiding, Specifying, and Action
Navigate here to ITEC Principles

Anchoring, guiding and specifying principles and examples of actions, customizable for varying organizational needs.

ITEC News and Commentary

Excelsior Logo

Brian Patrick Green, director, technology ethics, quoted by Excelsior.

The "ITEC Handbook" referenced by TechTimes.

Brian Green, director, technology ethics quoted by The Daily Upside.

Related Resources From the Ethics Center

A Framework for Ethical Decision Making
Navigate here to A Framework for Ethical Decision Making

The Markkula Center’s Ethical Decision-Making Framework is a tool designed to 1) help users see and identify a broader set of ethical issues than they would have without it, and 2) guide users through a process that includes both pre-decision and post-decision steps.


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Navigate here to Ethics in Tech Practice

Ethics in Technology Practice aims to provide free materials to encourage and support ethics training workshops in technology companies.


A business meeting with diverse group of participants sitting at a conference table with laptops and notebooks engaging in a conversation
Navigate here to Resources for Leaders Managing Corporate Culture

Ethical behavior in an organization is behavior that aligns with the organization’s mission and purpose, and prioritizes the interests the organization exists to serve. These resources are a starting point for managers who want to create a healthy organizational culture.


Have Questions or Engagement Interest?

From press and media inquiries or engagement/partnership opportunities, ITEC wants to connect with you. Contact us to engage with the Institute of Technology, Ethics, and Culture (ITEC), and learn more about how to become an advocate or organizational partner in this collaborative initiative.

Joel Dibble

Joel Dibble

For press and media inquiries contact Senior Director, News and Public Relations, Joel Dibble, at jdibble@scu.edu.

Thor Wasbotten

Thor Wasbotten

Contact Thor Wasbotten, managing director, to discuss an engagement: twasbotten@scu.edu.


 

Supporters

The Institute for Technology, Ethics, and Culture (ITEC) initiative and the ITEC Handbook are made possible through the generous support of Charmaine and Dan Warmenhoven, the Lucas Brothers Foundation, and through support from and collaboration with the below organizations:

ITEC Sponsor Logos

We are grateful for their commitment to the common good for humanity through ethical and responsible design, development, and use of technology.