Dignity

Abstract

Dignity is a very prominent concept in human rights instruments, in particular constitutions. It is also a concept that has many critics, including those who argue that it is useless in ethical debates. How useful or not dignity can be in artificial intelligence (AI) ethics discussions is the question of this chapter. Is it a conversation stopper, or can it help explain or even resolve some of the ethical dilemmas related to AI? The three cases in this chapter deal with groundless dismissal by an automated system, sex robots and care robots. The conclusion argues that it makes perfect sense for human rights proponents to treat dignity as a prime value, which takes precedence over others in the case of extreme dignity violations such as torture, human trafficking, slavery and reproductive manipulation. However, in AI ethics debates, it is better seen as an equal among equals, so that the full spectrum of potential benefits and harms are considered for AI technologies using all relevant ethical values.