Blay Whitby

British philosopher

Dr Blay Whitby is a philosopher and technology ethicist, specialising in computer science, artificial intelligence and robotics. He is based at the University of Sussex, England.^[1]

Blay Whitby graduated with first class honours from New College, Oxford University in 1974 and completed his PhD on "The Social Implications of Artificial Intelligence" at Middlesex University in 2003. His publications are predominantly in the area of the philosophy and ethical implications of artificial intelligence. His views place particular stress on the moral responsibilities of scientific and technical professionals,^[2]^[3] having some features in common with techno-progressivism.^[4] Widening engagement in science and increasing levels of debate in ethical issues is also an important concern.

Whitby is a member of the Ethics Strategic Panel of BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT. He also participates in art/science collaborations.

Selected publications

Whitby, B.R. (2003), A.I. A Beginner's Guide, Oxford: OneWorld Publications.
Whitby, B.R. (1996), Reflections on Artificial Intelligence: The Social, Legal, and Moral Dimensions, Oxford: Intellect Books.
Whitby, B.R. (1988), A.I., A Handbook of Professionalism, Chichester: Ellis Horwood.

References

^ Blay Whitby, University of Sussex, UK.
^ Whitby, B.R (2007) Computing Machinery and Morality in AI & Society, Vol. 22 No. 4. April 2008 pp. 551–563.
^ More or less human-like? Ethical issues in human-robot interaction in Ethics of Human Interaction with Robotic, Bionic, and AI Systems — Concepts and Policies Naples, Italy: ETHICBOTS European Project.
^ Sometimes it’s hard to be a robot: A call for action on the ethics of abusing artificial agents Elsevier, ed., in Interacting with Computers Volume 20 pp. 326–333.