Applied Ethics

Framing ethical perspectives

Applied ethics refers to the practical applications of the moral principles that govern behavior. Carnegie Council focuses on this field, mostly through the realm of international affairs, by identifying and addressing the most critical ethical issues of today and tomorrow. Our initiatives, content, and experts analyze the way that governments, institutions, and individuals interact and make choices on global issues, such as climate change, emerging technology, and governance.

Featured Applied Ethics Resources

Practical conversations, decision analysis, and more

JUL 5, 2023 Article

A Framework for the International Governance of AI

Carnegie Council, in collaboration with IEEE, proposes a five-part AI governance framework to enable the constructive use of AI.

APR 12, 2022 Podcast

Surveillance Tech's Infinite Loop of Harms, with Chris Gilliard

In this discussion with Senior Fellow Arthur Holland Michel, Chris Gilliard explains why the arc of surveillance technology and novel AI bends toward failures that ...

Explore Our Applied Ethics Resources

APR 5, 2022 Podcast

AI & Collective Sense-Making Processes, with Katherine Milligan

In this "Artificial Intelligence & Equality" podcast Senior Fellow Anja Kaspersen and Katherine Milligan, director of the Collective Change Lab, explore what we can learn from ...

MAR 29, 2022 Podcast

Can You Code Empathy? with Pascale Fung

In this riveting and wide-ranging conversation, Senior Fellow Anja Kaspersen is joined by HKUST's Professor Pascale Fung to discuss the symbiotic relationship between science fiction ...

MAR 23, 2022 Podcast

Tech, AI, & Global Norms

How do tech, AI, and global norms intersect to generate political, legal, and ethical dilemmas? In this event, Carnegie New Leader Josephine Jackson leads a ...

MAR 18, 2022 Podcast

Red Carpet: Hollywood, China, and the Global Battle for Cultural Supremacy, with Erich Schwartzel

Hollywood has long been part of the United States' soft power arsenal. Now, that soft power is threatened by the larger geostrategic competition between the ...

MAR 15, 2022 Podcast

The Strategy of Denial: American Defense in an Age of Great Power Conflict, with Elbridge Colby

In this wide-ranging talk, U.S. defense expert Elbridge Colby discusses the changing nature of American power with Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal. As the ...

FEB 28, 2022 Podcast

Russia Invades Ukraine: A Principled Response

Russia's invasion of Ukraine raises several ethical questions: Why did diplomacy fail? What does the invasion mean for the principle of sovereignty? Are sanctions an ...

Shanghai skyline

FEB 22, 2022 Podcast

Media Engagement in China: A Series of Ethical Questions

In the 1950s, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev bemoaned that the United States wouldn’t even sell buttons to the Soviet Union. "Buttons can hold up ...

FEB 18, 2022 Podcast

International Policing, Ethics, & the Use of AI in Law Enforcement, with Interpol's Jürgen Stock

In this episode of the "Artificial Intelligence & Equality" podcast, Senior Fellow Anja Kaspersen speaks with Dr. Jürgen Stock, secretary general of the International Criminal ...

FEB 9, 2022 Podcast

Where is the Public Square for the Digital Information Age? with Stelios Vassilakis

In this episode of the "Artificial Intelligence & Equality Initiative" podcast, Senior Fellow Anja Kaspersen and Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal sit down with the Stavros ...

JAN 19, 2022 Podcast

AI, Movable Type, & Federated Learning, with Blaise Aguera y Arcas

Are we reaching for the wrong metaphors and narratives in our eagerness to govern AI? In this "Artificial Intelligence & Equality" podcast, Carnegie Council Senior Fellow ...