Ethical Plateaus in Danish Child Protection Services
The Rise and Demise of Algorithmic Models
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21237331 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Helene Ratner (0000-0002-0842-4049, Aarhus University), Ida Schrøder (0000-0001-8518-7502, Aarhus University) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Publication date | 2023-08-28 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Science & Technology Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2243-4690 • E-ISSN: 2243-4690 |
| Publisher | Science and Technology Studies (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.23987/sts.126011 |
| OpenAlex | W4386213332 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 17 |
This paper analyses how controversies shape an emerging field of AI in Danish child protection services. In a context of high controversiality, we examine how algorithmic systems evolve in conjunction with changing ethical stakes. Empirically, we report a study comprising all Danish attempts (n=4) to develop algorithmic models for child protection services. These attempts were never fully implemented and have been either cancelled, paused or changed significantly since their outset. Combining Fischer’s (2004) notion of ‘ethical plateaus’ with insights from valuation studies, we propose that public controversies shape how organisations enact their algorithms as ethically ‘good’. Our findings demonstrate how valuations of ethically contestable algorithms involve the very distribution of agency across humans and algorithms, i.e., how much power and agency should be delegated to algorithmic models. In the case of Danish child protection services, this moves towards reducing their agency
Business · Child protection · Danish · Linguistics · Political science · Child Abuse and Trauma · Education, Healthcare and Sociology Research · Law · Philosophy · Social Work Education and Practice
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Care and Scale
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,5 |
| Citation span | 2024 - 2026 (3) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |