This book investigates how ethics generally precedes legal regulation, and looks at how changes in codes of ethics represent an unparalleled window into the research, innovation, and emerging technologies they seek to regulate. It provides case studies from the fields of engineering, science, medicine and social science showing how professional codes of ethics often predate regulation and help shape the ethical use of emerging technologies and professional practice. Changes in professional ethics are the crystallization of ongoing conversation in scientific and professional fields about how justice, privacy, safety and human rights should be realized in practice where the law is currently silent. This book is a significant addition to this area of practical and professional ethics and is of particular interest to practitioners, scholars, and students interested in the areas of practical and applied ethics.

1 An Introduction to the Societal Role of Ethics Codes (Kelly Laas, Michael Davis, Elisabeth Hildt).- Part 1. Past, Present, and Future: The Role of Ethics Codes and Guidelines in Changing Fields.- 2. Research Ethics Guidelines for the Engineering Sciences and Computer and Information Sciences (Philip Brey).- 3. Codes of Engineering Ethics: Recent Trends (Michael Davis).- 4. Informed Consent in Digital Data Management (Elisabeth Hildt and Kelly Laas).- 5 Codes of Ethics and Research Integrity (Stjepan Ljudevit MaruSic and Ana MaruSic).- Part 2. Ethics Codes, Emerging Technologies, and International Viewpoints.- 6. The Significance of Professional Codes and Ethical Guidelines in Difficult Clinical Situations (Charlotte Wetterauer, Jan Schürmann and Stella Reiter-Theil).- 7. Global AI Ethics Documents: What They Reveal About Motivations, Practices and Policies (Daniel Schiff, Kelly Laas, Justin Biddle and Jason Borenstein).- 8. Addressing Intelligent Systems and Ethical Design in IEEE'sCode of Ethics (Greg Adamson and Joe Herkert).- 9. Technocracy, Public Optimism, and National Progress: Constructing Ethical Guidelines for Responsible Nano Research and Development in China (Qin Zhu).- 10. The Historical Process and Challenges of Medical Ethics Codes in China (Hengli Zhang, Siyu Sha, and Yuying Gao).- Part 3. New Approaches to Ethics Codes: Changing Purposes, Differing Views.- 11. Mentions of Ethics Codes in Social Media: A Twitter Analysis (Kelly Laas, Elisabeth Hildt, and Ying Wu).- 12. The Technology's Fine; It's the Code of Professional Ethics that Needs Changing (Dennis Cooley).- 13. On Leaving and Receiving Traces: Thoughts on an Un-Professional Code of Ethics (Adam Briggle).- 14. The Responsibility of Researchers and Engineers: Codes of Ethics for Emerging Technologies (Armin Grunwald).