Critical Foresight of Human-Computer Interaction: A Review on Methods to Assess Ethical Risks and Side-Effects of Emerging Technologies

Abstract

Innovative technologies often come with unforeseen side effects or even detrimental consequences. This may range from impacts on individual wellbeing, effects on the level of society and social dynamics, environmental impacts, or unwanted effects on an organizational level. The responsible design of human-computer interaction demands methods to systematically foresee and assess such potential negative consequences of technological innovations for humans and society, and ideally use such insights to sensibly design and adjust a product concept and its features. In a comprehensive literature review of the methods landscape, we identified a total of 40 future-oriented methods designed or adaptable to elicit negative ethical or societal consequences of technological innovations. This paper describes different clusters of methods, classifies the methods along different criteria, and lists examples for each cluster. Based on a cross-analysis of the methods and reported best practices, we discuss recommendations for a fruitful combination of structural elements of existing methods and sketch ideas for new approaches of a light-weight way to reflect on potential harmful consequences of emerging technologies.

Keywords: Human-Computer Interaction, Emerging Technologies, Critical Foresight, Method Review

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1006218