Humans Are Back in the Loop! Would Production Process Related Ethics Support the Design, Operating, and Standardization of Safe, Secure, and Efficient Human-Machine Collaboration?

Abstract

Technology convergence of extreme complexity such as the smart grid, autonomous cars, or catalytic processes give rise to high expectations regarding the secure and safe operation of such systems. Their design and operation is not only a technical matter. The human as a "system component" with unique properties and abilities, as a designer and operator, is becoming a central part of the system as soon as responsible decision making is needed, not at least in cases of emergency. Tacit knowledge and other human properties are of crucial relevance for context-and situation-dependent decision making and the ascription of responsibility for these actions. The uniform description and modeling of technical systems and humans in this new role of acting as the "ultimate resort" will need and benefit from the support of ethical reflection. The paper proposes a system life cycle approach which integrates the human in the loop. Ethical reflection and even ethically based technical decision making can support the effective controlling of convergent technology systems.