What You Need to Do

Read and respond to a workplace scenario that presents an ethical dilemma in at least two Discussion posts. In your response, address what you would do in the situation and suggest strategies to avoid the dilemma in the future. Discuss the posted options with your group as you consider what to do in the situation. Use the step-by-step instructions below to complete the task.

How This Activity Connects to the Course

Ethical considerations matter in everything that you write in the workplace. You may well find yourself in a situation similar to this scenario once you graduate (or even sooner as an intern). This scenario considers what companies should tell the public about how they monitor them.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Success Tip

You can use the online texts, any notes that you have, and the available course pages in Canvas for help as you work on these questions. You can also talk to one another.

  1. Read the scenario below and consider the ethical dilemma involved for Cameron.
  2. In your your first post, present a position statement that answers the question “What would you do in this situation?”
    • Provide reasoning from your own personal code of ethics. Here you focus on what YOU think is right.
    • Provide reasoning from your discipline’s code of ethics, OR Provide at least one supporting statement or example from the Ethics Resource Module.
  3. Read the posts from others in your group, paying attention to how you agree or disagree on their solutions.
  4. Write at least one additional post to discuss the solution your group would recommend.

The Scenario

AI-Driven Social Media Monitoring

A photo of Cameron meeting with coworkers in an office meeting room. Cameron is in her late 20s and uses her laptop in the meeting.
Image created with Midjourney

Hayes & Daughters is an environmentally-friendly company that produces household cleaning supplies, scented hand and body products, and decorative scented candles. The company plans to launch an AI technology system to monitor social media for references to its brand and products.

The company hopes the new system will help them respond quickly to customer questions or complaints and share news and information that will help market their products. This initiative aims to improve customer engagement and satisfaction, while also enhancing the company’s public image.

Scenario

Cameron is a member of the committee writing a recommendation report on how Hayes & Daughters should inform customers about the way they are analyzing and using public posts. At the next committee meeting, Cameron must recommend whether it is necessary to inform the public at all and, if so, how transparent the company should be with its customers.

Options for Cameron

  • Full Transparency: Recommend that Hayes & Daughters fully disclose their AI monitoring practices, including how data is collected, analyzed, and used, ensuring complete openness with customers.
  • Limited Disclosure: Suggest providing general information about AI monitoring practices without revealing specific details, balancing transparency with protecting proprietary methods.
  • Proactive Engagement: Recommend actively engaging with customers about the AI monitoring practices through regular updates, Q&A sessions, and educational content.
  • Minimal Disclosure: Advise the company to disclose only the essential information required by law, keeping most details about the AI monitoring practices confidential.
  • No Disclosure: Propose that Hayes & Daughters do not inform the public about their AI monitoring practices, focusing on internal use and proprietary advantage.

Issues to Consider as You Decide What Cameron Should Recommend

  • Customer Trust: How will the level of transparency impact customer trust and the company’s reputation?
  • Legal Requirements: What are the legal requirements for disclosing AI monitoring practices in the industry and region?
  • Competitive Advantage: How might full transparency affect the company’s competitive advantage and proprietary information?
  • Ethical Responsibilities: What are the ethical implications of monitoring customer interactions without their explicit knowledge?
  • Impact on Engagement: How will different levels of transparency affect customer engagement and interaction with the brand?

Conclusion

Cameron must decide how to balance transparency with the company’s need to protect proprietary methods and maintain a competitive edge.What should she recommend to promote trust, ethical responsibility, and effective customer engagement?

Assessment

I will mark your participation in this Discussion Complete (or Incomplete) after the end of the Grace Period passes and I confirm that you have made at least two posts (required: one response to the original scenario, and a second in response to others in your class). Allow me several days to read and mark all your posts.