Jason Borenstein | School of Public Policy

Overview

Jason Borenstein, Ph.D., is the Director of Graduate Research Ethics Programs and Associate Director of the Center for Ethics and Technology. His appointment is divided between the School of Public Policy and the Office of Graduate Studies. He is also Affiliated Faculty at the Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Machines (IRIM).

Dr. Borenstein is an associate editor of the journal Science and Engineering Ethics, co-editor of the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy’s Ethics and Information Technology section, and an editorial board member of the journal Accountability in Research. He is also Editor for Research Ethics for the National Academy of Engineering's Online Ethics Center for Engineering and Science. He was the Founder and formerly Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Philosophy, Science & Law.

Dr. Borenstein’s research interests include bioethics, engineering ethics, robot ethics, and research ethics. He is currently a Co-Principal Investigator on a five year project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) entitled "Institutional Transformation: The Role of Service Learning and Community Engagement on the Ethical Development of STEM Students and Campus Culture". He is also a Co-Principal Investigator on NSF-funded projects related to: Fairness, Ethics, Accountability and Transparency (FEAT) in computing education and research; robots and bias; and programming ethics into humanoid robots. His work has appeared in numerous professional journals including AI & Society, Communications of the ACM, Science and Engineering Ethics, the Journal of Academic Ethics, Ethics and Information Technology, IEEE Technology & Society, Accountability in Research, and the Columbia Science and Technology Law Review.

Education:

M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy, University of Miami
B.S. in Biology and B.A. in Philosophy, Emory University

Interests

Research Fields:

Ethics and Philosophy of Science and Technology

Issues:

Assessment
Bioethics, Bioscience, Biotechnology
Community engagement
Emerging Technologies - Innovation
Human/Machine Interaction
Philosophy
Problem-Based Learning
Science and Technology

Courses

PHIL-3105: Ethical Theories
PHIL-3109: Engineering Ethics
PHIL-6000: Responsible Conduct-Res
PHIL-6010: Biotech Research Ethics
PHIL-6710: Ethics Biotech Research
PST-3105: Ethical Theories
PST-3109: Ethics&Tech Profession
PST-3127: Sci,Tech & Human Values
PST-8000: Responsible Condut-Res
PUBP-8801: Special Topics
PUBP-8811: Special Topics

Selected Publications

Journal Articles

The Ugly Truth About Ourselves and Our Robot Creations: The Problem of Bias and Social Inequity
In: Science and Engineering Ethics [Peer Reviewed]
October 2018
Overtrust in the Robotic Age
In: Communications of the ACM
September 2018
Overtrust of Pediatric Healthcare Robots: A Preliminary Survey of Parent Perspectives
In: IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine: Special Issue on Socio-ethical Approaches to Robotics Development [Peer Reviewed]
February 2018
Self-Driving Cars and Engineering Ethics: The Need for a System Level Analysis
In: Science and Engineering Ethics [Peer Reviewed]
November 2017
Self-Driving Cars: Ethical Responsibilities of Design Engineers
In: IEEE Technology and Society Magazine [Peer Reviewed]
2017
Nudging for Good: Robots and the Ethical Appropriateness of Nurturing Empathy and Charitable Behavior
In: AI & Society [Peer Reviewed]
November 2016
Robotic Nudges: The Ethics of Engineering a More Socially Just Human Being
In: Science and Engineering Ethics [Peer Reviewed]
February 2016
Creating "Companions" for Children: The Ethics of Designing Aesthetic Features for Robots
In: AI and Society [Peer Reviewed]
February 2014

Taking the term "companion" in a broad sense to include robot caregivers, playmates, assistive devices, and toys, we examine ethical issues that emerge from designing companion robots for children. We focus on the relative importance and potential ethical implications of creating robots with certain types of esthetic features. We include an examination of whether robots ought to be made to appear or act humanlike, and whether robots should be gendered. In our estimation, this line of ethical inquiry may even provide insight into the nature and appropriateness of existing institutions and widely accepted interactions among human beings. © 2012 Springer-Verlag London Limited.

Recent Publications

Journal Articles

How Should Clinicians Communicate With Patients About the Roles of Artificially Intelligent Team Members?
In: AMA Journal of Ethics
February 2019
The Ugly Truth About Ourselves and Our Robot Creations: The Problem of Bias and Social Inequity
In: Science and Engineering Ethics [Peer Reviewed]
October 2018
Overtrust in the Robotic Age
In: Communications of the ACM
September 2018
Hacking the Human Bias in Robotics
In: ACM Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction
May 2018
Overtrust of Pediatric Healthcare Robots: A Preliminary Survey of Parent Perspectives
In: IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine: Special Issue on Socio-ethical Approaches to Robotics Development [Peer Reviewed]
February 2018
Ethical Principles for the Use of Human Cellular Biotechnologies
In: Nature Biotechnology
November 2017
Self-Driving Cars and Engineering Ethics: The Need for a System Level Analysis
In: Science and Engineering Ethics [Peer Reviewed]
November 2017

Chapters

Robots, Ethics, and Intimacy: The Need for Scientific Research
In: On the Cognitive, Ethical, and Scientific Dimensions of Artificial Intelligence: Themes from IACAP 2016
2019

Conferences

Undergraduate STEM Students and Community Engagement Activities: Initial Findings from an Assessment of Their Concern for Public Well-Being
In: 2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
June 2018

Other Publications

Ethical Issues From Authorship to Human Subjects Research
In: Physics Today
August 2018