On machine unintelligence and ethical principles: A critical appraisal of Downes (2026)

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25619/dz40p632

Keywords:

AI, artificial intelligence, education, ethical principles, unintelligence

Abstract

This commentary presents a critical evaluation of Stephen Downes’s (2026) paper entitled “On ethical AI principles” published in this issue of The Journal of Open, Distance, and Digital Education, focusing on aspects regarding artificial intelligence (AI) and its definitional background, critical AI, and ethical principles. The case is made for an understanding of the unintelligence of machines, a concern when the role of ethics in the life cycle of AI-related products is devalued, a similar one when ethics or ethical behaviour is adjudicated to them, as well as how tricks into fomenting unethical behaviour and eroding academic integrity have overflown the educational field for years. The main goal is to clarify many of those topics through a critical appraisal of Downes’s paper. Present and future generations may need to wake up from the impasse that technologists’ illusions have moved us towards.

Author Biography

  • Dagmar Monett, Computer Science Department, Berlin School of Economics and Law

    Prof. Dr. Dagmar Monett is a Computer Science Professor (Artificial Intelligence, Software Engineering) at the Berlin School of Economics and Law (HWR Berlin) and the Director of the Computer Science Division at the Department of Cooperative Studies Business and Technology. Her current research fields include AI, critical AI, machine learning, knowledge-based systems, and computer science education.

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Published

2026-05-22

Data Availability Statement

N/A

Issue

EARLY ACCESS

Section

Critical Reflections

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Dagmar Monett

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