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Value and Benefit

While above we represented 'the good that can be done' as aspirational, that is, something ethical codes seek to accomplish, in the present case we view the same principle as a limit, and specifically, as the research or practice must produce a benefit in order to be ethical.

In some cases, this benefit may be immediate and practical. For example, the Behavior Analyst Certification Board requires that practitioners provide "effective treatment" (BACB, 2014:6). It is arguable, as well, that "health-care professionals, especially, have an obligation to distinguish between remedies that represent the careful consensus of highly trained experts and snake oil" (Kennedy, et.al., 2002).

In other cases the requirements are more general (and more widely distributed). The Royal Society requires that researchers "show clear user need and public benefit" (Drew, 2016). Similarly, the Asilomar principles state that "AI technologies should benefit and empower as many people as possible" and "the economic prosperity created by AI should be shared broadly, to benefit all of humanity" (Asilomar, 2017). Fjeld (2020) finds a principle of "promotion of human values," and specifically, that "the ends to which AI is devoted and the means by which it is implemented should promote humanity's well being."

In other cases, the requirement that a benefit be shown is limited to requiring that practitioners demonstrate a purpose for their work. The Barcelona Principles (2010) for example require that researchers "specify purposes of data gathering in advance, and seek approval for any new uses," while the DELICATE principles require that universities "Decide on the purpose of learning analytics for your institution" and "Explain: Define the scope of data collection and usage" (Drachsler & Greller, 2016).

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