Rollin M. Omari and Masoud Mohammadian
The developing academic field of machine ethics seeks to make artificial agents safer as they become more pervasive throughout society. In contrast to computer ethics, machine…
Abstract
Purpose
The developing academic field of machine ethics seeks to make artificial agents safer as they become more pervasive throughout society. In contrast to computer ethics, machine ethics is concerned with the behavior of machines toward human users and other machines. This study aims to use an action-based ethical theory founded on the combinational aspects of deontological and teleological theories of ethics in the construction of an artificial moral agent (AMA).
Design/methodology/approach
The decision results derived by the AMA are acquired via fuzzy logic interpretation of the relative values of the steady-state simulations of the corresponding rule-based fuzzy cognitive map (RBFCM).
Findings
Through the use of RBFCMs, the following paper illustrates the possibility of incorporating ethical components into machines, where latent semantic analysis (LSA) and RBFCMs can be used to model dynamic and complex situations, and to provide abilities in acquiring causal knowledge.
Research limitations/implications
This approach is especially appropriate for data-poor and uncertain situations common in ethics. Nonetheless, to ensure that a machine with an ethical component can function autonomously in the world, research in artificial intelligence will need to further investigate the representation and determination of ethical principles, the incorporation of these ethical principles into a system’s decision procedure, ethical decision-making with incomplete and uncertain knowledge, the explanation for decisions made using ethical principles and the evaluation of systems that act based upon ethical principles.
Practical implications
To date, the conducted research has contributed to a theoretical foundation for machine ethics through exploration of the rationale and the feasibility of adding an ethical dimension to machines. Further, the constructed AMA illustrates the possibility of utilizing an action-based ethical theory that provides guidance in ethical decision-making according to the precepts of its respective duties. The use of LSA illustrates their powerful capabilities in understanding text and their potential application as information retrieval systems in AMAs. The use of cognitive maps provides an approach and a decision procedure for resolving conflicts between different duties.
Originality/value
This paper suggests that cognitive maps could be used in AMAs as tools for meta-analysis, where comparisons regarding multiple ethical principles and duties can be examined and considered. With cognitive mapping, complex and abstract variables that cannot easily be measured but are important to decision-making can be modeled. This approach is especially appropriate for data-poor and uncertain situations common in ethics.
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Marco De Marco, Paolo Fantozzi, Claudio Fornaro, Luigi Laura and Antonio Miloso
The purpose of this study is to show that the use of CAM (cognitive analytics management) methodology is a valid tool to describe new technology implementations for businesses.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to show that the use of CAM (cognitive analytics management) methodology is a valid tool to describe new technology implementations for businesses.
Design/methodology/approach
Starting from a dataset of recipes, we were able to describe consumers through a variant of the RFM (recency, frequency and monetary value) model. It has been possible to categorize the customers into clusters and to measure their profitability thanks to the customer lifetime value (CLV).
Findings
After comparing two machine learning algorithms, we found out that self-organizing map better classifies the customer base of the retailer. The algorithm was able to extract three clusters that were described as personas using the values of the customer lifetime value and the scores of the variant of the RFM model.
Research limitations/implications
The results of this methodology are strictly applicable to the retailer which provided the data.
Practical implications
Even though, this methodology can produce useful information for designing promotional strategies and improving the relationship between company and customers.
Social implications
Customer segmentation is an essential part of the marketing process. Improving further segmentation methods allow even small and medium companies to effectively target customers to better deliver to society the value they offer.
Originality/value
This paper shows the application of CAM methodology to guide the implementation and the adoption of a new customer segmentation algorithm based on the CLV.