Beneficial & Harmful Effects of Computing Innovations

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

  • Identify and categorize computing innovations
  • Analyze both beneficial and harmful effects of computing innovations
  • Explain how innovations can impact beyond their intended purpose
  • Apply principles of responsible innovation
  • Connect to College Board requirements for AP CSP exam

What Are Computing Innovations?

Computing innovations are the programs, applications, and devices that shape our digital world. They include:

Type Examples
Software Mobile apps, web applications, operating systems, games
Hardware Smartphones, tablets, wearable devices, IoT devices
Systems Social media platforms, e-commerce, search engines, cloud services

IOC-1.A.1: People create computing innovations.
IOC-1.A.2: The way people complete tasks often changes to incorporate new computing innovations.

Dual Nature: Beneficial & Harmful Effects

A critical understanding of computing innovations requires recognizing their dual nature. The same innovation can simultaneously produce beneficial and harmful effects.

IOC-1.A.4: A single effect can be viewed as both beneficial and harmful by different people or even by the same person.

Impact Categories

Category Examples of Beneficial Effects Examples of Harmful Effects
Society Drones can efficiently survey large areas for disaster relief Privacy concerns from unauthorized aerial surveillance
Economy Self-checkout kiosks reduce wait times in retail stores Job loss for cashiers due to automation
Culture AI-generated translations help people access content in different languages Automated recommendations can reinforce cultural bias and filter bubbles
Environment Electric vehicles reduce carbon emissions and air pollution Battery production and disposal create toxic waste
Personal Safety Smart home security cameras help monitor homes remotely Data breaches can expose private security footage

Case Study: Social Media Platforms

Beyond Intended Purpose

IOC-1.A.3: Not every effect of a computing innovation is anticipated in advance.
IOC-1.B.1: Computing innovations can be used in ways that their creators had not originally intended.

Historical Examples

  • The World Wide Web: Originally designed for scientific information exchange, now powers global commerce, entertainment, and communication
  • Targeted Advertising: Created to help businesses reach customers, now raises concerns about privacy and manipulation
  • Machine Learning: Developed to automate pattern recognition, now impacts decisions from hiring to criminal justice

IOC-1.B.2: Some of the ways computing innovations can be used may have a harmful impact on society, the economy, or culture.

Types of Unintended Effects

  • Emergent Behavior: New patterns arising from complex interactions
  • Unanticipated Uses: Creative applications beyond original intent
  • Scale Effects: Issues that only appear with widespread adoption
  • Environmental Impacts: Resource consumption and pollution throughout lifecycle

Analytical Framework

When evaluating any computing innovation, apply this structured analysis:

def analyze_innovation(innovation):
        questions = [
                "Who is the intended user or audience?",
                "What were the intended benefits?",
                "What actual benefits have emerged?",
                "What harmful effects have emerged?",
                "How might these effects evolve over time?",
                "What populations are most affected (positively or negatively)?"
        ]
        
        analysis = {}
        for question in questions:
                analysis[question] = evaluate(innovation, question)
        
        return analysis

IOC-1.B.6: Rapid sharing of a program or running a program with a large number of users can result in significant impacts beyond the intended purpose or control of the programmer.

Responsible Innovation Principles

IOC-1.B.3: Responsible programmers try to consider the unintended ways their computing innovations can be used and the potential beneficial and harmful effects of these new uses.

def responsible_innovation():
        principles = [
                "Consider diverse perspectives in design",
                "Test with diverse users",
                "Anticipate misuse scenarios",
                "Build in safeguards",
                "Monitor after deployment",
                "Iterate based on feedback"
        ]
        return principles

IOC-1.B.4: It is not possible for a programmer to consider all the ways a computing innovation can be used.

Extended Case Study: Facial Recognition

Context Beneficial Effects Harmful Effects
Public Safety Finding missing persons
Identifying suspects		 Mass surveillance
Algorithmic bias
Consumer Tech Photo organization
Device security		 Privacy concerns
Identity theft risks
Healthcare Patient identification
Medical diagnostics		 Medical privacy issues
Discrimination risks
Education Attendance tracking
Personalized learning		 Student privacy
Academic pressure
Business Secure access
Customer analytics		 Workplace surveillance
Consumer profiling

Lifecycle Analysis

IOC-1.A.5: Advances in computing have generated and increased creativity in other fields, such as medicine, engineering, communications, and the arts.

Classwork

Questions

  1. Explain how the same computing innovation can have both beneficial and harmful effects depending on the context and user perspective. Provide an example to support your answer.

  2. Identify an example of a computing innovation that had unintended consequences. Explain what the intended use was and how the unintended effects emerged.

  3. How can programmers anticipate and mitigate the harmful effects of computing innovations? List at least three strategies based on the principles of responsible innovation.

Practice Assessments

Multiple Choice Questions

Which example demonstrates how a computing innovation can have both beneficial and harmful effects?

  • A) GPS navigation helps find efficient routes (beneficial) but may reduce spatial awareness (harmful)
  • B) Digital assistants make tasks easier (beneficial) but always operate correctly (also beneficial)
  • C) Social media connects people (beneficial) while desktop computers require electricity (harmful)
  • D) Online games provide entertainment (beneficial) while spreadsheets help organize data (also beneficial)
Show Answer Correct Answer: A

What is an example of an unintended consequence of a fitness tracking app?

  • A) Users become more physically fit
  • B) The app accurately counts steps
  • C) Insurance companies request access to data to set premiums
  • D) Users can set daily exercise goals
Show Answer Correct Answer: C

Free Response Question

For the computing innovation of autonomous vehicles, analyze both beneficial and harmful effects across different contexts.

Show Sample Response **Context: Transportation Efficiency** - *Beneficial*: Optimized traffic flow, reduced congestion, more efficient fuel consumption - *Harmful*: Potential system-wide failures during outages, vulnerability to coordinated attacks **Context: Safety** - *Beneficial*: Elimination of human error, consistent application of safety protocols - *Harmful*: New accident scenarios from sensor failures or edge cases, over-reliance on systems **Context: Accessibility** - *Beneficial*: Mobility for elderly, disabled, and those unable to drive - *Harmful*: Economic barriers to access, potential exclusion of lower-income communities **Context: Employment** - *Beneficial*: New jobs in AV development, maintenance, and support - *Harmful*: Displacement of driving-based jobs (taxi, truck, delivery services) **Context: Urban Planning** - *Beneficial*: Reduced parking needs, more efficient use of space - *Harmful*: Possible increase in suburban sprawl, changed urban landscapes

Group Activities

Kahoot

Innovation Design Challenge

Students work in teams to:

  1. Identify a problem that could be addressed with computing
  2. Design a computing innovation solution
  3. Analyze potential beneficial and harmful effects
  4. Propose safeguards to minimize harmful effects
  5. Submit to us in the google form with the rest of the homework

Why This Matters

Understanding beneficial and harmful effects is crucial for:

  • Ethical Innovation: Creating technology that improves lives while minimizing harm
  • Digital Citizenship: Making informed choices about technology use
  • Policy Development: Crafting effective regulations for emerging technologies
  • Future Design: Learning from current impacts to improve future innovations

“The challenge of our time is not just creating new technologies, but ensuring they serve humanity’s best interests.”

Additional Resources

Assignment

Computing Innovation Impact Analysis

Choose a computing innovation not discussed in class and:

  1. Identify and describe the innovation
  2. Analyze beneficial effects across multiple categories
  3. Analyze harmful effects across multiple categories
  4. Explain an effect that could be viewed as both beneficial and harmful
  5. Identify at least one unintended use or consequence
  6. Propose measures to maximize benefits and minimize harms

Due date: [3/23]

College Board Connections

Code Description
IOC-1.A Explain how an effect of a computing innovation can be both beneficial and harmful
IOC-1.B Explain how a computing innovation can have an impact beyond its intended purpose
IOC-1.A.1 People create computing innovations
IOC-1.A.2 The way people complete tasks often changes to incorporate new computing innovations
IOC-1.A.3 Not every effect of a computing innovation is anticipated in advance
IOC-1.A.4 A single effect can be viewed as both beneficial and harmful by different people or even by the same person
IOC-1.A.5 Advances in computing have generated and increased creativity in other fields
IOC-1.B.1 Computing innovations can be used in ways that their creators had not originally intended
IOC-1.B.2 Some ways computing innovations can be used may have harmful impacts
IOC-1.B.3 Responsible programmers try to consider unintended uses and effects
IOC-1.B.4 It is not possible for a programmer to consider all ways a computing innovation can be used
IOC-1.B.6 Rapid sharing with many users can result in significant impacts beyond the programmer’s control