Universal Values in AI Ethics

In this chapter, I would like to argue that there are universal values in AI ethics. This line of argument is quite neglected in the voluminous literature in the field. Basically, the argument is that the basic values in AI ethics that are generally agreed on, such as privacy, explainability, lack of bias, and so on, are indeed universalizable. Furthermore, given the empirical situation of the widespread use of AI and the shared global communication systems, these values are indeed universal. The idea, to be argued for in the chapter, is that the basis of this universality is founded not on any a priori theorization, but on the contingencies or exigencies of the situation that obtains empirically. The reason for this is that values always serve certain goals, and the main AI values serve goals that happen to be advantageous to those who work with AI as well as those who benefit from it, the advantage that spans cultural differences. This does not necessarily mean that cultures are essentially the same, but it shows that cultures cannot remain in isolation, but always interact with one another, and that this is especially the case when it comes to AI.