Archival ethics in the age of ubiquitous computing, big data, and artificial intelligence
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Abstract
The ethical dilemmas currently facing archival science are examined within the context of digital transformation, at a time when computing, big data, and artificial intelligence (AI) are established realities impacting the profession. The point of departure for this analysis is the ethical framework established by the International Council on Archives (ICA) in 1996, which is now subject to reassessment in light of this technological landscape. The discussion is structured around three main themes: first, the omnipresence of ubiquitous computing and its implications for the creation of records and data; second, the moral tensions arising from the processing of large volumes of information; and third, the ethical dilemmas generated by the delegation of archival tasks to automated systems through AI. In response, it is argued that archival science must develop a stronger ethical horizon that addresses issues such as algorithmic transparency, business ethics, and environmental sustainability, and, in particular, human oversight in the configuration of the decisive principles that influence the integrity of documentary heritage within such automated systems.
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