#PRethics, Algorithms and “Driving Miss Daisy”

A memorable scene from an acclaimed film 30 years ago encapsulates an idea that is strangely central to an ethics-and-algorithms conversation going on, present-day, in the public relations profession.

In "Driving Miss Daisy," an early scene sets the stage for Miss Daisy's son, Boolie (played by Dan Aykroyd), to confront his mother (played by Jessica Tandy), about her operational skills behind the automotive wheel, after she accidentally backs her car off a retaining wall at the edge of her driveway, into the neighbor's yard.

As the insurance adjuster arrives on the scene to survey the damage and the resulting premium hike, Boolie urges Miss Daisy not to drive anymore, much to her protest and counter-accusations:

Daisy Werthan: “You should have let me keep my old LaSalle. It never would've behaved this way and you know it.”

Boolie Werthan: “Mama, cars don't behave. They are behaved upon. Fact is, you demolished that Chrysler all by yourself.”

Fast-forward to 2019. 

Conversations about ethical accountability in public relations seem to be ratcheting up, including in a blog posted March 16, 2019, by the Institute for Public Relations, “Reputation and Accountability in the Age of Algorithms,” authored by Dr. Alexander Buhmann, an assistant professor at the Department of Communication and Culture at BI Norwegian Business School.

In his article, Dr. Buhmann astutely examines the potential for over-reliance on algorithms to make what have historically been subjective-yet-dynamically-informed judgments about right-and-wrong.

For example, can human accountability in subjective spheres as communications and relationship-management be digitally policed, caught and called out, in accurate, fair and meaningful ways? 

Or can only real people operating in real time and with a fully dynamic awareness of complex issues and historical precedents do that work sufficiently?

And to what extent might those who would even venture to write prospective algorithmic codes for such tasks introduce their own biases or even nefarious intent that could – to dispense with technical jargon – gum-up the works?

Dr. Buhmann’s concluding paragraph encapsulates the core questions to the profession quite nicely:

“A key reputational concern here is algorithmic opacity (transparency) and the challenges it poses to communicators regarding the safeguarding of organizational accountability; i.e. how can communicators manage accountability when their organizations introduce more and more systems that are essentially ‘black boxes’ and perceived as only poorly transparent and ‘creepy’ technology.”

Interestingly, Dr. Buhmann includes among his “reputational concerns about algorithms” the statement that “Algorithms aren’t perfect. They may produce unfair, biased or factually incorrect results. They have, for instance, been found to discriminate against certain groups of people (as the case with profiling algorithms).”

It’s here that I interject a respectfully proposed amendment to Dr. Buhmann’s statement, inspired by the Miss Daisy / Boolie conversational exchange from a 1989 movie depicting a mid-century fictional conversation.

Algorithms don’t discriminate; they are discriminated upon – however purposefully or unintentionally – by the humans who conceptualize and code them.                                        

In light of Dr. Buhmann’s other insights about the potential failures of algorithms to deliver satisfactory outcomes applied to ethics (I recommend you read his full article), I offer these additional observations:

As a profession, leaders in public relations need to start sounding the alarm that the uniquely human-criteria selectors and weighted judgments applied to ethical decision-making cannot be relegated to formal-logic / Boolean algebra (“If THIS, then THAT”), given the complex nature of any given set of situational factors to any ethics challenge on any given day.

My concern here isn’t one of public relations professionals getting “coded” out of their jobs, given that many of us do, in fact, embrace our key role as the ethical conscience and advocacy voice within our organizations, advising C-suites about not only communications decisions but also fundamental management / operational decisions that impact brand relationships and reputation.

Rather, it’s a matter of straight-up quality control.

In recent years, I’ve had my eyes opened a great deal about the extent to which the public relations profession has failed to advance enough commitment toward ethics in lock-step with true compliance (as opposed to endless lip-service, posturing and statements of good intentions, to which the path to hell is also said to be paved, for a reason). 

In fact, I consider my profession – in certain national orbits in particular – to be one that’s in a largely self-unrealized state of crisis.   

No “ethics bot” is going to sufficiently identify or diagnose that problem, much less fix it (or at least I have yet to see it).

Ethics isn’t an auto-pilot proposition. 

• WE humans have to do the work to impart meaning on professional ethics.
• WE have to engage the right thinking at the right times.
• WE have to identify the right moments to stop and reconsider.
• WE have to research facts, data and precedents (from years or even decades past) that are germane to good decision-making.
• WE have to do the analysis of complicated issues, factors and consequences.
• WE have to make the tough judgment calls that are independent of emotional tugs and fears (i.e. “Gee, I’d hate to hurt John's or Jane’s feelings and point out the fact that they just lied through their teeth,” or “How does my stand for ethics potentially threaten my future prospects by those who would wish to retaliate against me?”)

Only WE can create the systemic environment necessary to foster real trust, underpinned with honest intention and behaviors that ring true to others.

Artificial Intelligence is most likely to produce only artificial applications of artificial ethics, the ultimate oxymoron. 

Alas, when it comes to ethical accountability, there’s little credible pathway by cutting corners via digital code. We have only ourselves upon whom to rely.

Mary Beth West, APR, Fellow PRSA is a public relations strategist based in Tennessee. She can be followed on Twitter, @marybethwest.