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Schultz_2022_Spri_jbe
Journal article

From greenwashing to machinewashing
: a model and future directions derived from reasoning by analogy

  • Seele, Peter ORCID Ethics and Communication Law Center (ECLC), Facoltà di comunicazione, cultura e società, Università della Svizzera italiana, Svizzera
  • Schultz, Mario D. ORCID Ethics and Communication Law Center (ECLC), Facoltà di comunicazione, cultura e società, Università della Svizzera italiana, Svizzera
  • 2022
Published in:
  • Journal of business ethics. - 2022, vol. 178, p. 1063–1089
Machinewashing
Greenwashing
AI ethics
Corporate political activity
Decoupling
Agency theory
English This article proposes a conceptual mapping to outline salient properties and relations that allow for a knowledge transfer from the well-established greenwashing phenomenon to the more recent machinewashing. We account for relevant dissimilarities, indicating where conceptual boundaries may be drawn. Guided by a “reasoning by analogy” approach, the article addresses the structural analogy and machinewashing idiosyncrasies leading to a novel and theoretically informed model of machinewashing. Consequently, machinewashing is defined as a strategy that organizations adopt to engage in misleading behavior (communication and/or action) about ethical Artificial Intelligence (AI)/algorithmic systems. Machinewashing involves misleading information about ethical AI communicated or omitted via words, visuals, or the underlying algorithm of AI itself. Furthermore, and going beyond greenwashing, machinewashing may be used for symbolic actions such as (covert) lobbying and prevention of stricter regulation. By outlining diverse theoretical foundations of the established greenwashing domain and their relation to specific research questions, the article proposes a machinewashing model and a set of theory-related research questions on the macro, meso, and micro-level for future machinewashing research. We conclude by stressing limitations and by outlining practical implications for organizations and policymakers.
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Language
  • English
Classification
Philosophy, psychology
License
CC BY
Open access status
hybrid
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://n2t.net/ark:/12658/srd1325635
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