# If our aim is to build morality into an artificial agent, how might we begin to go about doing so?

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2310.08295 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.08295/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 8 of its 22 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 12 Oct 2023.

## Builds on (most cited first, 8 of 8)

- [Model Cards for Model Reporting](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1810.03993/) (2018)
- [A Voting-Based System for Ethical Decision Making](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1709.06692/) (2017)
- [AI virtues -- The missing link in putting AI ethics into practice](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2011.12750/) (2020)
- [Morality, Machines and the Interpretation Problem: A Value-based, Wittgensteinian Approach to Building Moral Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.02728/) (2021)
- [Have a break from making decisions, have a MARS: The Multi-valued Action Reasoning System](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2109.03283/) (2021)
- [Breaking Bad News in the Era of Artificial Intelligence and Algorithmic Medicine: An Exploration of Disclosure and its Ethical Justification using the Hedonic Calculus](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2207.01431/) (2022)
- [Developing moral AI to support antimicrobial decision making](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2208.06327/) (2022)
- [Establishing Meta-Decision-Making for AI: An Ontology of Relevance, Representation and Reasoning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.00608/) (2022)

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [Unleashing the potential of prompt engineering for large language models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.14735/) (2023)
- [Can a Machine be Conscious? Towards Universal Criteria for Machine Consciousness](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.15369/) (2024)

## Abstract (arXiv)

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) becomes pervasive in most fields, from healthcare to autonomous driving, it is essential that we find successful ways of building morality into our machines, especially for decision-making. However, the question of what it means to be moral is still debated, particularly in the context of AI. In this paper, we highlight the different aspects that should be considered when building moral agents, including the most relevant moral paradigms and challenges. We also discuss the top-down and bottom-up approaches to design and the role of emotion and sentience in morality. We then propose solutions including a hybrid approach to design and a hierarchical approach to combining moral paradigms. We emphasize how governance and policy are becoming ever more critical in AI Ethics and in ensuring that the tasks we set for moral agents are attainable, that ethical behavior is achieved, and that we obtain good AI.