ETHICAL GUIDELINES FOR SCIENCE IN THE CONTEXT OF GROWING THREATS TO PUBLIC WELFARE

Abstract

The article is devoted to the problem of ethics in modern science, which produces research results that have enormous potential, which, however, are used for various purposes: for the benefit of society, its members, nature, etc. or only for purely commercial purposes without taking into account the degree of risk of using the results of scientific research or for a frankly harmful purpose. Accordingly, the problem of the scientist’s responsibility for the results of the research conducted arises from the point of view of establishing the positive and negative consequences of their use, warning society about this and developing proposals for minimizing the risks associated with problematic research results. This is about the ethics of the scientist/ researcher, which is traditionally adhered to by scientific institutions and educational institutions with relevant scientific departments. However, in the modern period, research has become widespread in purely commercial structures, in which scientific research is conducted to increase the profitability of the main activity (production, investment, construction, innovation, Internet advertising, search services, cloud computing, Internet trading, etc.), but they do not fall under the scope of entities that, in accordance with the laws of Ukraine “On Scientific and Scientific and Technical Activities” and “On Academic Integrity”, are obliged to adhere to the standards of scientific ethics and academic integrity. The increase in risks from uncontrolled use of scientific research results such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, etc., which poses a threat not only to individuals, but also to humanity as a whole, requires the extension of responsibility for research results/their use to all entities that conduct scientific research and/or implement their results. It is also worth noting the adjustment of scientific research priorities in terms of giving preference to those of them that are aimed at minimizing the risks from the use of modern technologies and discoveries.