Why a Special Issue on Machine Ethics

In early 2019, the PROCEEDINGS OF THE IEEE will publish a Special Issue on Building Ethical Autonomous Systems. This topic is a departure from the usual reviews and surveys of highly technical and mathematical areas on the cutting edge of electrical and computer engineering research. You may have to search for the equations in this issue, but the logic can be challenging. The ethical questions that are addressed, while framed as dealing with autonomous systems, are important and applicable to dealing with all research areas under the IEEE umbrella. The methods of addressing these questions draw mainly from artificial intelligence and machine learning.