#58 - Neely on Augmented Reality, Ethics and Property Rights

In this episode I talk to Erica Neely. Erica is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Ohio Northern University specializing in philosophy of technology and computer ethics. Her work focuses is on the ethical ramifications of emerging technologies. She has written a number of papers on 3D printing, the ethics of video games, robotics and augmented reality. We chat about the ethics of augmented reality, with a particular focus on property rights and the problems that arise when we blend virtual and physical reality together in augmented reality platforms. You can download the episode here or listen below. You can also subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and a variety of other services (the RSS feed is here). Show Notes0:00 - Introduction1:00 - What is augmented reality (AR)?5:55 - Is augmented reality overhyped?10:36 - What are property rights?14:22 - Justice and autonomy in the protection of property rights16:47 - Are we comfortable with property rights over virtual spaces/objects?22:30 - The blending problem: why augmented reality poses a unique problem for the protection of property rights27:00 - The different modalities of augmented reality: single-sphere or multi-sphere?30:45 - Scenario 1: Single-sphere AR with private property34:28 - Scenario 2: Multi-sphere AR with private property37:30 - Other ethical problems in scenario 243:25 - Augmented reality vs imagination47:15 - Public property as contested space49:38 - Scenario 3: Multi-sphere AR with public property54:30 - Scenario 4: Single-sphere AR with public property1:00:28 - Must the owner of the single-sphere AR platform be regulated as a public utility/entity?1:02:25 - Other important ethical issues that arise from the use of AR Relevant LinksErica's Homepage'Augmented Reality, Augmented Ethics: Who Has the Right to Augment a Particular Physical Space?' by Erica'The Ethics of Choice in Single Player Video Games' by Erica'The Risks of Revolution: Ethical Dilemmas in 3D Printing from a US Perspective' by Erica'Machines and the Moral Community' by EricaIKEA Place augmented reality appL'Oreal's use of augmented reality make-up appsHolocaust Museum Bans Pokemon Go  #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; } /* Add your own MailChimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block. We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. */ Subscribe to the newsletter