Respect as a Lens for the Design of AI Systems

Respect is missing from current AI ethics frameworks: While regulations like the EU AI Act emphasize fairness, justice, accountability, and safety, the paper argues these principles are insufficient because "even if a system is in some sense fair, just, or 'safe', it can nonetheless be exploitative, coercive, inconvenient, or otherwise conflict with cultural, individual, or social values."

Respect addresses how AI treats people, not just outcomes: The paper introduces "interactional ethics" as a new dimension, focusing on "the ways AI systems should treat human beings" rather than only distributing benefits fairly—respect concerns "how people regard one another, and how this translates to perception, treatment, and behaviour."

Respect is a fundamental human need that technology should support: The authors propose that "if respect is something everyone needs and deserves, shouldn't technology aim to be respectful?"—suggesting respect should be as central to AI design as fairness or justice currently are.

Respect draws from multiple philosophical traditions: The paper synthesizes perspectives from Kantian philosophy, post-Kantian thought, dramaturgical approaches, and agential realism to develop a comprehensive understanding of what respect means for AI systems.

Respectful AI design can create more inclusive and ethical systems: The authors aim to identify "ways that respect may guide us towards more sociable artefacts that ethically and inclusively" serve human needs—suggesting respect as a practical design principle, not just an abstract ideal.