When technology misleads: a sociotechnical perspective on moral disengagement in business

Purpose This paper aims to conceptualize ethical infrastructure overconfidence (EIO) as a form of moral disengagement that arises when organizations overestimate the objectivity and self-correcting capacity of digital technologies. Design/methodology/approach This conceptual theory-building article relies on logical deduction and mechanism elaboration to integrate macro-organizational scholarship with behavioral ethics. This study uses comparative illustrative vignettes drawn from archival records exclusively as secondary theoretical exemplars to clarify the plausibility of the framework. These vignettes function as deductive conceptual anchors rather than empirical casework or qualitative fieldwork. Findings The analysis identifies three mechanisms through which EIO functions as moral disengagement: moral justification, displacement of responsibility and ethical escalation latency, the delayed recognition of ethically relevant anomalies. EIO also suppresses perceived behavioral control, reducing individuals’ ability and willingness to escalate concerns. These effects intensify in institutionally fragile environments. Practical implications The framework highlights emerging ethical risks in AI-mediated organizations and offers actionable constructs for diagnosing failures of internal oversight and responsible technological governance. Originality/value This study advances a behavioral-ethical explanation for technology-driven ethical failures, integrating moral psychology, digital governance and institutional theory.