Slow ethics in an age of fast technology

ǂthe ǂethical implications of industry 4.0 for social work

Sarah Banks (Author), Ana Marija Sobočan (Author), Teresa Bertotti (Author), Jane Shears (Author), Kimberly Strom-Gottfried (Author)

Abstract

This paper brings together a range of perspectives on the ethical implications for social work of the growing use of digital technologies, big data, artificial intelligence and other features of ‘Industry 4.0’ (the fourth industrial revolution). Drawing on contributions to a workshop co-organised by the Ethics and Social Welfare journal, contributors explore: the nature and importance "slow ethics" in an age of fast technological developments; ethical challenges for social work with the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, which outlaws digital communications; the empowering effect of online meetings for a young person in Italy; and the possibilities and limitations of using algorithms in mental capacity assessments and in ethical decision-making more broadly. Stimulated by these examples, the concluding discussion considers how to maintain a person-centred approach in social work, being pro-active in developing positive uses and resisting the de-humanising and exclusionary impacts of digital technologies.

Keywords

socialno delo;etika;digitalna tehnologija;umetna inteligenca;social work;slow ethics;digital technology;artificial intelligence;

Data

Language:	English
Year of publishing:	2025
Typology:	1.01 - Original Scientific Article
Organization:	UL FSD - Faculty of Social Work
UDC:	364:17
COBISS:	239945219
ISSN:	1749-6543
Views:	78
Downloads:	57
Average score:	0 (0 votes)
Metadata:

Other data

Secondary language:	Slovenian
Secondary keywords:	socialno delo;etika;digitalna tehnologija;umetna inteligenca;
Type (COBISS):	Article
Pages:	str. 137-155
Volume:	ǂVol. ǂ19
Issue:	ǂno. ǂ2
Chronology:	2025
DOI:	10.1080/17496535.2025.2512949
ID:	27118944