Melander Recommends: Six Things (at least) to Explore in December

Photo: Anne Ravnholt Juelsen

Content

Melander Recommends:
Six Things (at least) to Explore in December

30. Nov 2021

This month, our program director Christina Melander puts Digital Ethics on the agenda and highlights several important things for you to explore

Quick insight

Christina Melander

Should we do it, just because we can?

Almost daily, we are presented with stories or analyzes that point to digital downsides – bias, inequality, manipulation, and polarization.

As a society and as companies, we have the responsibility of ensuring that it is us, the humans, who control the technology – and not the other way around. And we can do just that.

Because there are people – designers, developers, programmers – behind the design of algorithms, automation, data management, and our online behavior and engagement with digital products.

Here in Denmark, we have a long and strong tradition of putting humans at the center when we design innovative solutions. And it has proven to be good business whether we’re talking about urban, health, or green solutions – and regardless of whether you are a private or a public company. We have some incredibly good preconditions for also making humans the starting point when we develop digital products and solutions.

Ethics is not a legal requirement. Ethics begins where the law ends. Ethics is about asking yourself the question: Just because we can, should we? And that is why ethics is a competitive parameter. This is where you as a private or a public company can differentiate yourself – positively.

Dive into this field – a lot is going on.

The Digital Ethics Compass toolkit

This month we launch the final version of the Digital Ethics Compass – a tool to support designing digital products and solutions that are ethical. The tool does not provide answers but helps ask questions and explore ethical dilemmas within automatization, data, and design behavior.

Design AM on December 8

If you want to learn more about the Digital Ethics Compass, join our Design AM on December 8. We introduce the Compass, the frontrunner companies Howdy and Danske Bank share their experiences using the tool and the director of the D-seal explains how the tool can help obtain a part of the seal.

The D-seal

The D-seal is Denmark’s new label for IT security and responsible use of data. The D-deal promotes companies that show digital responsibility and as such result in both value for businesses, security for consumers and users, and creates a stronger digital Denmark.

The 5-step guide to data ethics

The Danish Data Ethics Council has developed a practical tool that helps make data ethics understandable. The tool contains a 5-step guide (in Danish), and the purpose is to increase the awareness of how to apply data ethics in practice.

Podcast: Design can

The podcast episode “Design can – by itself” is worth listening to. It’s a conversation (in Danish) between our CEO Christian Bason and digital strategist Peter Svarre on the connection between design and artificial intelligence. The conversation initiated the development of the Digital Ethics Compass tool.

Survey: The Danes’ digital life

Recently, the media Mandag Morgen published a survey that shows that there’s both a large group of Danes who are disconnected from the digital world and another large group who are easy victims of digital manipulations. On top of that, 76 percent of Danes are seriously concerned about the impact of social media on our children and young people’s psyche. We’re working on launching a mission that aims to improve the well-being of young people.