CLASS 8 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE : UNIT 2 – AI ETHICS

🔹 1️⃣ SHORT NOTES FOR REVISION

2.1 What Is Ethics?

Meaning:

Ethics means moral values or rules that help us decide what is right or wrong, good or bad.
These are the principles that guide our behavior and help us live peacefully and fairly in society.

Example:
If you find a wallet full of money on the road, returning it to its owner is the ethical thing to do.

2.2 Everyday Ethics

Let’s look at a small story:

You are working in a burger shop. You drop a burger on the floor, and your boss tells you to serve it anyway.
What will you do?

An ethical person will not serve the fallen burger because it is unhygienic and wrong.

Ethics helps us decide the right action even when no one is watching.

2.3 What Is AI Ethics?

AI Ethics means the moral rules and responsibilities we follow while developing or using Artificial Intelligence.
It ensures that AI is used for good purposes and does not harm people or society.

In simple words:
👉 AI Ethics teaches us to use AI wisely, fairly, and safely.

2.4 Why Is AI Ethics Important?

Artificial Intelligence is powerful — it can make life easy, but it can also be misused.
That’s why AI must be designed responsibly.

Key Reasons for AI Ethics:

To ensure fairness – AI should not favor one group over another.
To protect privacy – AI should not steal or misuse personal information.
To avoid harm – AI should not spread fake news or replace humans unfairly.
To build trust – People should believe AI systems are safe and honest.

2.5 Ethical Concerns in AI

Let’s look at some major ethical problems caused by careless AI use:

Concern	Meaning	Example
AI Bias	When AI gives unfair results because of biased data.	Search engine showing only male doctors and female nurses.
Privacy Issues	AI may collect or use personal data without permission.	Apps sharing users’ location or photos without consent.
Job Replacement	AI machines may take over human jobs.	Robots doing work of factory workers or drivers.
Misinformation	AI may create fake or misleading content.	Fake news articles or edited images spread online.

2.6 Examples of Bias in AI

Voice Assistants Bias:
- Most virtual assistants (like Alexa, Siri) have female voices.
- This creates a gender bias, assuming helpers should be female.
Search Engine Bias:
- When searching for “salons,” most results show women’s salons.
- This assumes only women go to salons — another bias.
Facial Recognition Bias:
- Some AI cameras work better for light skin tones and make mistakes for darker skin.
- This is a racial bias caused by unbalanced training data.

2.7 Integrating Ethics into AI

When we design AI systems, we must ensure they follow ethical values.

Key Principles of Ethical AI:

Principle	Meaning	Goal
Human-Centric	AI should benefit people, not harm them.	Focus on safety and human welfare.
Unbiased	AI should treat everyone equally.	Fairness and equality.
Data-Protective	Protect users’ private data and use it responsibly.	Privacy and trust.
Sustainable	AI should be good for society and environment.	Long-term positive impact.

2.8 Discussion – AI: Boon or Bane?

In class, divide students into two teams:

Team A: Supports AI (Boon – advantage)
Team B: Opposes AI (Bane – disadvantage)

Each team will debate for 1 minute per person.

Debate Topics:

Is it ethical to replace human workers with robots?
Should AI decide who gets a job or a loan?
How can AI help in health and education?
Should AI be controlled by strict government laws?

Conclusion:
AI is a powerful tool — whether it becomes a boon or bane depends on how humans use it.

2.9 Reflection Questions

What is the importance of ethics in daily life?
How can bias enter AI systems?
Why is data privacy important in AI?
What is meant by human-centric AI?
How can we ensure AI remains fair and trustworthy?

2.10 Test Yourself (MCQs)

Ethics mainly deals with:
a) Economic decisions
b) Rules of right and wrong ✅
c) Physical appearance
d) Political rules
AI Ethics ensures that AI is used:
a) To harm people
b) Without thinking
c) Responsibly and safely ✅
d) To replace humans completely
Which is an example of bias in AI?
a) AI suggesting multiple languages
b) AI showing only male doctors ✅
c) AI predicting rainfall
d) AI helping in online learning
Data-protective AI focuses on:
a) Saving electricity
b) Protecting personal data ✅
c) Advertising products
d) Playing online games
Human-centric AI means:
a) AI that helps humans ✅
b) AI that replaces humans
c) AI that harms society
d) AI that has no ethics

2.11 Summary

Concept	Key Points
Ethics	Moral values to decide right and wrong.
AI Ethics	Responsible and fair use of AI.
Concerns	Bias, privacy, misinformation, job loss.
Ethical AI Principles	Human-centric, unbiased, data-protective, sustainable.
Goal of AI Ethics	Build trust, fairness, and equality in technology.

🔹 2️⃣ 20 BEST MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS (MCQs)

1. Ethics mainly deals with:
A. Economic decisions B. Physical appearance C. Rules of right and wrong D. Legal codes
✅ Answer: C

2. AI Ethics ensures that AI is used:
A. Recklessly B. For profit only C. Responsibly and safely D. To replace humans
✅ Answer: C

3. Which of the following is an example of AI bias?
A. AI suggesting books B. AI showing only male doctors C. AI calculating rainfall D. AI helping students learn
✅ Answer: B

4. Privacy in AI means:
A. Sharing all data freely B. Using personal data responsibly C. Making AI public D. Removing passwords
✅ Answer: B

5. Human-centric AI focuses on:
A. Helping people B. Controlling humans C. Ignoring ethics D. Reducing jobs
✅ Answer: A

6. Job replacement by AI raises which concern?
A. Economic ethics B. Moral ethics C. Employment ethics D. Privacy ethics
✅ Answer: C

7. A system that shows gender preference in results reflects:
A. Fair AI B. Ethical AI C. AI Bias D. Trustworthy AI
✅ Answer: C

8. Which principle ensures equality in AI systems?
A. Data-Protective B. Unbiased C. Sustainable D. Competitive
✅ Answer: B

9. Data-protective AI promotes:
A. Public sharing B. Privacy and security C. Free access D. Unlimited use
✅ Answer: B

10. Sustainable AI aims to:
A. Reduce jobs B. Harm nature C. Help society long-term D. Misuse resources
✅ Answer: C

11. Example of misinformation in AI is:
A. Accurate news B. Deepfake videos C. Medical diagnosis D. Voice command
✅ Answer: B

12. AI Ethics helps in:
A. Increasing bias B. Reducing fairness C. Building trust D. Removing people
✅ Answer: C

13. The foundation of all ethical AI design is:
A. Efficiency B. Accuracy C. Fairness and honesty D. Competition
✅ Answer: C

14. Which concern is related to surveillance misuse?
A. AI Bias B. Privacy Issues C. Job Loss D. Data Sharing
✅ Answer: B

15. Gender bias in AI often appears in:
A. Gaming apps B. Voice assistants C. Email software D. Music apps
✅ Answer: B

16. Why do we need AI Ethics?
A. To make AI popular B. To use AI responsibly C. To avoid using AI D. To remove ethics
✅ Answer: B

17. Ethical AI systems must be:
A. Biased B. Secretive C. Transparent and fair D. Profitable
✅ Answer: C

18. Which principle focuses on human welfare?
A. Sustainable B. Human-Centric C. Data-Protective D. Competitive
✅ Answer: B

19. Example of Job Replacement due to AI:
A. Teacher explaining in class B. Robot working in a factory C. Student writing notes D. Nurse helping patient
✅ Answer: B

20. AI Ethics encourage:
A. Misuse of data B. Fairness and accountability C. Secrecy D. Job loss
✅ Answer: B

🔹 3️⃣ VERY SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS (VSAQs)

1. Define ethics.
→ Ethics means moral rules that help us choose right over wrong.

2. What are AI Ethics?
→ Principles that guide responsible creation and use of AI.

3. Give one reason why AI Ethics is important.
→ To ensure AI is fair and does not harm people.

4. What is AI Bias?
→ When AI gives unfair results due to biased training data.

5. Give one example of privacy issue in AI.
→ Apps collecting user data without permission.

6. What is Human-Centric AI?
→ AI designed to help and benefit humans.

7. What does “Data-Protective” mean?
→ Protecting personal information and maintaining privacy.

8. Write one example of misinformation.
→ Fake news created by AI.

9. What is the main goal of Ethical AI?
→ Fairness, equality, and trust.

10. Why is sustainable AI necessary?
→ To ensure long-term benefits for society and the environment.

🔹 4️⃣ SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS (SAQs)

1. Why are ethics important in daily life?
→ They guide our actions to be honest, fair, and responsible, helping us live peacefully in society.

2. What is the need for AI Ethics?
→ AI is powerful and can be misused; ethics ensure it is developed and used responsibly.

3. What happens when AI is biased?
→ It produces unfair results, discriminating against certain people or groups.

4. How does AI threaten privacy?
→ By collecting or sharing personal data without consent.

5. What are the four principles of Ethical AI?
→ Human-centric, Unbiased, Data-Protective, and Sustainable.

6. Give an example of job replacement due to AI.
→ Robots replacing human workers in factories or delivery services.

7. What is meant by misinformation?
→ False or misleading information spread by AI-generated content.

8. How can bias enter an AI system?
→ Through unbalanced or prejudiced training data.

9. Why should AI be sustainable?
→ To ensure it supports human progress without harming the environment.

10. What is the ultimate goal of AI Ethics?
→ To make AI trustworthy, safe, and beneficial to all.

🔹 5️⃣ LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS (LAQs)

1. Explain the importance of AI Ethics in today’s world.
→ AI influences every field — education, health, finance, and more. Without ethics, AI could cause bias, invade privacy, or lead to job loss. AI Ethics ensures fairness, equality, and responsible use of technology. It helps build public trust and encourages innovation that benefits all.

2. Discuss four major ethical concerns in AI with examples.
→ (i) AI Bias: Unequal treatment (e.g., showing only male doctors).
(ii) Privacy Issues: Using personal data without consent.
(iii) Job Replacement: Robots taking over factory work.
(iv) Misinformation: AI spreading fake news.
These show why responsible AI is essential.

3. What are the key principles of Ethical AI?
→ Human-Centric (helps people), Unbiased (treats all equally), Data-Protective (keeps information safe), and Sustainable (supports long-term welfare). Together, these ensure fairness and trust.

4. How can bias be removed from AI systems?
→ By using balanced training data, testing for unfair results, and involving diverse developers. Awareness and strict evaluation of data sources reduce discrimination.

5. “AI can be a boon or a bane.” Explain with examples.
→ AI is a boon when used in healthcare, education, or disaster management. It becomes a bane when used irresponsibly — causing job loss or privacy invasion. The result depends on human intention and ethical application.

🔹 6️⃣ SOURCE-BASED / CASE-BASED QUESTIONS

🧩 Case 1: Voice Assistant Bias

Many voice assistants like Siri and Alexa use female voices by default. This creates a gender stereotype that assistants or helpers should be women.

Questions:

Identify the type of AI bias shown here.
Why is this bias harmful?
How can developers correct it?

Answers:

Gender bias.
It promotes stereotypes about gender roles.
By offering neutral or customizable voice options.

🧩 Case 2: AI in Hiring

A company uses AI software to shortlist job applicants. The system selects fewer women because its training data mostly includes male employees.

Questions:

Which ethical concern is seen here?
How does data bias affect fairness?
What principle of Ethical AI should be followed?

Answers:

AI Bias.
It leads to unfair and unequal opportunity.
The Unbiased principle.

🧩 Case 3: Facial Recognition in Public Spaces

A city installs AI cameras to detect criminals. However, the system also records faces of ordinary citizens without consent.

Questions:

Which ethical issue does this represent?
Why is this dangerous for privacy?
How can the problem be solved?

Answers:

Privacy issue.
It collects personal data without permission.
By enforcing strict data-protection laws and consent systems.

🔹 7️⃣ SOLVED EXERCISE-END QUESTIONS (NCERT-BASED)

Q1. What is the importance of ethics in daily life?

Answer:
Ethics guide us to live honestly, fairly, and responsibly. They help us choose right over wrong, build trust in relationships, and create a peaceful, respectful society. Following ethics in everyday actions—like telling the truth or returning lost items—develops integrity and good citizenship.

Q2. How can bias enter AI systems?

Answer:
Bias enters AI when the training data used for learning is unbalanced or reflects human prejudices. For example, if an AI is trained mostly on male photos, it may perform poorly for females. Therefore, using diverse and fair datasets is essential to avoid biased outcomes.

Q3. Why is data privacy important in AI?

Answer:
Data privacy ensures that personal information collected by AI systems is kept safe and not misused. Protecting privacy builds trust between users and technology. Without privacy, people’s sensitive data—like photos, location, or health records—can be exploited or leaked.

Q4. What is meant by human-centric AI?

Answer:
Human-centric AI focuses on benefiting and protecting people rather than replacing or harming them. It keeps human welfare, safety, and dignity at the centre of all AI design and decision-making. Such AI systems support human progress instead of dominating it.