Analyzing the Use of Ethical Theories Within AI Ethics Research: A Systematic Scoping Review

Alina Hafner (), Teresa Hammerschmidt () and Katharina Heselschwerdt ()
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Alina Hafner: Technical University of Munich, Information Systems and Business Process Management
Teresa Hammerschmidt: University of Bamberg, Information Systems and Social Networks
Katharina Heselschwerdt: University of Stuttgart, Innovation and Service Management

A chapter in People, Society, and Ethical Challenges of Information Systems, 2026, pp 51-70 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract Artificial Intelligence (AI) ethics research is a multifaceted field, requiring different theoretical justifications in which researchers can ground their underlying perspectives on ethics. We provide an overview of the major normative ethical theories used in Information Systems research on AI ethics. Through a systematic scoping review, we assess the prevailing theories, their progress, and areas needing further study. Our findings reveal a dominance of deontological ethics, which results in determining ethics mainly from the AI’s perspective by discussing ethical design principles but not from how a human user’s virtue ethics perspective guides humans’ moral behavior when collaborating with AI equally. We suggest that researchers recognize how normative ethical theories might bind their work, impacting their understanding of moral agency and responsibility and guiding Corporate Digital Responsibility practices for organizations striving for responsible AI design, deployment, and usage.

Keywords: Scoping review; AI ethics; Ethical theories; Digital responsibility (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-08486-6_5

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