1.5.2 Moral and Ethical Issues Exam Questions

Past paper questions

1. Question 1H446/01 · June 20229 marks

   Discuss the extent to which you think computer systems will inherit the biases and discrimination of their programmers as the use of AI increases. Include: the meaning of AI, examples of when AI may be affected by bias, measures that can be taken to prevent people being affected by bias in AI.

   Your answer (optional, saved in this browser)
   Show mark scheme

   Levels of response (9 marks) AO1: AI performs tasks requiring human intelligence. Machine learning improves through experience/data. ML is subset of AI. AO2: AI follows programming rules which may contain bias. Training data may be biased (historical data reflects past discrimination). Facial recognition less accurate for certain ethnicities. AO3: Diverse development teams, auditing algorithms, transparency in decision-making, using representative training data.

   Mark yourself: how many marks did you get?

   0123456789/ 9
2. Question 2H446/019 marks

   Discuss the possible benefits and drawbacks of shops using facial recognition to identify customers before they walk in. Include: benefits and drawbacks to customers and businesses, moral and ethical issues, legal issues.

   Your answer (optional, saved in this browser)
   Show mark scheme

   Levels of response (9 marks) Benefits: Personalized service, fraud prevention, security, marketing insights. Drawbacks: Privacy invasion, data security risks, discrimination, false positives. Moral/Ethical: Consent, surveillance society, autonomy. Legal: GDPR compliance, data protection, need for lawful basis.

   Mark yourself: how many marks did you get?

   0123456789/ 9
3. Question 3H446/019 marks

   Discuss the different methods that could be used to collect data for a car park to calculate parking charges. Include: benefits and drawbacks of each method, ethical implications, legal implications.

   Your answer (optional, saved in this browser)
   Show mark scheme

   Levels of response (9 marks) Methods: ANPR cameras, ticket machines, sensors, mobile apps. Benefits: Automation, accuracy, reduced staffing. Drawbacks: Cost, technical failures, privacy concerns. Ethical: Surveillance, data collection beyond necessity. Legal: DPA compliance, retention periods, informing users.

   Mark yourself: how many marks did you get?

   0123456789/ 9
4. Question 4H446/01 · June 20199 marks

   Discuss the positive and negative impacts computers are having on the environment.

   Your answer (optional, saved in this browser)
   Show mark scheme

   Levels of response (9 marks) Positive: Reduced travel (remote work), paperless offices, smart energy management, environmental monitoring, optimizing logistics. Negative: E-waste, energy consumption of data centers, mining for rare materials, planned obsolescence, manufacturing emissions.

   Mark yourself: how many marks did you get?

   0123456789/ 9
5. Question 5H446/019 marks

   'It's like the Wild West, the Internet. There are no rules.' Discuss the extent to which you agree with this statement and how important you feel that the regulation of the internet is.

   Your answer (optional, saved in this browser)
   Show mark scheme

   Levels of response (9 marks) Disagree: Many laws apply (CMA, DPA, CDPA, defamation). ISPs regulated. Online platforms have terms of service. Agree: Jurisdictional issues, anonymity, encryption, dark web, difficulty enforcing across borders. Importance: Protecting users, preventing crime, maintaining trust, balancing with freedom of expression.

   Mark yourself: how many marks did you get?

   0123456789/ 9
6. Question 6H446/01 · June 20182 marks

   Give one advantage and one disadvantage to the customers of a taxi using self-driving cars rather than drivers.

   Your answer (optional, saved in this browser)
   Show mark scheme

   Advantage: Potentially cheaper fares / available 24/7 / no human error / consistent service / no discrimination Disadvantage: Safety concerns / lack of human judgement in unusual situations / job losses / technical failures / no human interaction (2 marks - 1 for advantage, 1 for disadvantage)

   Mark yourself: how many marks did you get?

   012/ 2
7. Question 7H446/01 · June 20179 marks

   'Developments in Artificial Intelligence mean that in twenty years' time most people will be unemployed.' Discuss whether or not you agree with this statement.

   Your answer (optional, saved in this browser)
   Show mark scheme

   Levels of response (9 marks) Agree: AI automating jobs (manufacturing, customer service, driving). Historical precedent of technology replacing workers. Disagree: New jobs created (AI development, maintenance). Jobs requiring creativity, empathy, complex decision-making harder to automate. Universal Basic Income as solution. Historical predictions of unemployment not realized.

   Mark yourself: how many marks did you get?

   0123456789/ 9
8. Question 8Practice question · H446/01 style9 marks

   A supermarket plans to replace all of its checkout staff with self-service tills and to use robots that scan shelves and reorder stock automatically. Discuss the moral, social and ethical issues that this raises for the supermarket, its staff and its customers. You should consider computers in the workforce, automated decision making, and the effect on different groups of people.

   Your answer (optional, saved in this browser)
   Show mark scheme

   Levels of response question (9 marks) AO1 (knowledge): Computers in the workforce replace routine jobs but create roles in maintenance, software and data. Automated decision making uses rules or models to act without a person. Systems may be biased, make errors, or be opaque. AO2 (application): Checkout staff lose jobs or must retrain; some customers (older, disabled, those paying cash) find self-service harder; the robots' reorder decisions could be wrong (stock-outs, waste) with no human check; the supermarket cuts costs and may extend opening hours; fewer staff on the floor affects security and theft. AO3 (evaluation): Weigh lower prices and efficiency against unemployment and exclusion; consider whether the supermarket has a duty to retrain staff or keep staffed tills; consider accountability when an automated decision is wrong; reach a justified conclusion about whether the plan is acceptable and under what conditions. Level 3 (7-9 marks): Thorough knowledge, applied to the scenario, with a balanced discussion and a justified conclusion. Level 2 (4-6 marks): Reasonable knowledge, some application, discussion mostly one-sided or conclusion weak. Level 1 (1-3 marks): Basic points, little application to the supermarket, no real evaluation. 0 marks: No creditworthy material.

   Mark yourself: how many marks did you get?

   0123456789/ 9
9. Question 9Practice question · H446/01 style4 marks

   A social media company uses an algorithm to decide which posts each user sees and to remove posts that it classifies as offensive. Explain two ethical issues raised by using automated decision making in this way.

   Your answer (optional, saved in this browser)
   Show mark scheme

   1 mark for each issue identified and 1 mark for the explanation, to a maximum of 4. For example: • Bias: the algorithm learns from past data, so it may treat some groups or viewpoints unfairly / amplify existing prejudice • Lack of transparency or accountability: users cannot see why a post was shown or removed, and it is unclear who is responsible for a wrong decision • Censorship and free expression: automatically removing posts may silence legitimate speech / the company decides what is acceptable without a human review • Manipulation: choosing what users see can shape opinions or encourage addictive use for advertising revenue • Errors: a classifier can wrongly flag or miss offensive content, causing harm with no human check

   Mark yourself: how many marks did you get?

   01234/ 4