The negativity crisis of AI ethics

Abstract Despite the great positive potential of AI, the AI ethics community has presented a rather gloomy picture of AI’s ethical implications. This paper examines the negativity within AI ethics through a philosophy of science lens. The prevailing negativity is a result of the particular way the discipline is institutionally organized, which pressures AI ethicists to portray AI in a critical light. As a consequence, the overall picture of AI offered by the AI ethics community is one-sided and negatively biased. We should be skeptical about the negative narrative promoted by AI ethics and explore ways of reforming the system.