The Machine Ethics Podcast compendium

This page is an evolving document that will help anyone listening to the podcast partially decypher the terms and learn more about the subjects discussed.

This is by no way a complete document and is meant as a resource and talking point.

Terminologies:

Artifical intelligence - Computer programs with some level of learning and/or autonomy. It can also be referrenced as the goal of creating a human-like intelligent artifical entity. This term seems to be a moving goal-post as our algorithms and models become ever more sophisticated. (also see What even is AI anyway?)

Machine Ethics - The study and implementation of moral behavior / decision making in artificial systems and agents.

Robo-ethics - The study of moral aspects of autonomous systems that can effect us directly e.g. autonomous cars, robots used in warfare, relationship and social AI.

Computer Ethics - The actions of humans towards computers, data and programs.

AI Ethics - The practical ethics in relation to AI system implementations, pipelines, governance, design, outcomes and usage.

Theory of mind - As AI systems become more intelligent the study of the mind, conciousness, and of temporal beings will become more important to distinguish facets of these things in AI and indeed what that means for us in relation.

AI Safety - relating to the study of AI Alignment, the Control Problem and implications of Artificial General Intellegence (AGI) / Superintelligence.

Projects / research / standards of interest:

• Open AI: https://openai.com
• MIT Moral machines: http://moralmachine.mit.edu/
• Microsoft FATE: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/group/fate/
• EPSRC: https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/research/ourportfolio/themes/engineering/activities/principlesofrobotics/
• IEEE ethics in action: https://ethicsinaction.ieee.org/

Ethical tech guidelines / principles / frameworks:

• ARM - AI trust manifesto - https://www.arm.com/blogs/blueprint/arm-ai-trust-manifesto
• Asilomar study on long term AI futures - http://www.aaai.org/Organization/asilomar-study.pdf
• Big Data Ethics - Beyond IRBs: Ethical Guidelines for Data Research: https://bigdata.fpf.org/papers/beyond-irbs-ethical-guidelines-for-data-research/
• Design Ethically - https://www.designethically.com/toolkit
• Digital Catapult - Ethics Framework: https://www.migarage.ai/ethics-framework/
• EPSRC - Principles of robotics: https://epsrc.ukri.org/research/ourportfolio/themes/engineering/activities/principlesofrobotics/
• Future of life institue - Global AI Policy: https://futureoflife.org/ai-policy/?cn-reloaded=1&cn-reloaded=1
• Google - AI principles: https://www.blog.google/technology/ai/ai-principles/
• IBM - Everyday Ethics for Artificial Intelligence: https://www.ibm.com/watson/assets/duo/pdf/everydayethics.pdf
• IF - Data ethics toolkit: https://www.projectsbyif.com/blog/data-ethics-toolkits-9-practices-for-organisations-operating-digital-services
• NESTA - 10 questions to answer before using AI in public sector algorithmic decision making: https://www.nesta.org.uk/blog/10-questions-ai-public-sector-algorithmic-decision-making/
• OECD - The OECD AI Principles https://www.oecd.org/going-digital/ai/principles/
• OpenAI charter - https://openai.com/charter/
• Partnership on AI - Our Work (Thematic Pillars): https://www.partnershiponai.org/about/#our-work
• Toward an Ethics of AI Assistants: an Initial Framework: https://link.springer.com/epdf/10.1007/s13347-018-0317-3
• Unity3d - Introducing Unity’s Guiding Principles for Ethical AI: https://blogs.unity3d.com/2018/11/28/introducing-unitys-guiding-principles-for-ethical-ai/

Aimed at children:

• AI + Ethics Curriculum for Middle School: https://www.media.mit.edu/projects/ai-ethics-for-middle-school/overview/

Design:

• Data permissions catalogue https://catalogue.projectsbyif.com/
• Ethical design manifesto https://ind.ie/ethical-design/

Data Scientists

• Ethics checklist for data scientists - https://deon.drivendata.org/

Governments:

• UK select committee on AI: http://www.parliament.uk/ai-committee

Media

Videos:

See the Machine Ethics youtube channel for lists and content.

Podcasts:

• Future of Life Institute - https://futureoflife.org/project/future-of-life-institute-podcast/
• Knowing Machines - https://knowingmachines.org/podcast
• Machine Ethics Podcast - https://www.machine-ethics.net/

Lists:

• A collection of controversial, and often unethical AI use cases - https://romanlutz.github.io/ResponsibleAI/
• AI Incident Database - https://incidentdatabase.ai/discover/index.html?s=
• List of AI ethics content - https://caitiewrites.gitbooks.io/ai-ethics-reading-list/content/

Updated: 17/10/2026
Updated: 28/12/2025
Updated: 1/10/2020