Developing Cognitive Systems Technologies with a Focus on the Ethical and Legal Issues

Striving to understand and address the ethical and legal issues surrounding the development and deployment of cognitive systems technologies early in the process sets a standard for responsible research and development of this emerging science. This paper discusses the importance of creating an early focus on ethical and legal issues in concert with the development of cognitive systems technologies. The conception, design, and implementation of a structured plan can create an awareness of the potential challenges cognitive systems might pose, as well as a commitment to the responsibilities of the scientific developers. The plan underway is described in this paper and includes the process of deriving an institutional set of ethical principles and guidelines including mechanisms for their application to real-world challenges.