From the first Introduction to Social Work course, social workers and prospective social workers are presented with the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics, outlining the principles that social workers are meant and expected to follow. These principles follow us through not only our education, but our entire careers as we work to root our practice in these core values. With this in mind, AI presents various ethical dilemmas that need to be taken into consideration with its constant development and growing availability.
My primary concern with the usage of AI, specifically within the social work field, is confidentiality, which is a primary principle within the code of ethics. Confidentiality is consistently brought up as it dictates a lot of action and accountability that the social worker takes. In fact, the principle is so important to the field that it alone takes up two pages of the code of ethics. With AI being owned by companies whose primary goal is to make money off of the technology, there is a concern with inputting personal client information into AI systems. While some may find AI insight helpful in difficult client scenarios, education on where to put confidential information is important not only on an ethical standpoint, but a legal one as well.From a logistical standpoint of AI usage in social work, there is a point to be made that involving technology to a greater extent within the field runs the risk of compromising the genuine human experience that comes with a social worker/client relationship. Many prospective social workers enter the field to offer this connection to clients and promote the purpose and perspective of the code of ethics, and I genuinely believe that relying too heavily on AI resources will negatively affect these principles. Social workers have a duty to remain educated on the subject of AI as it continues to grow and influence society, but we also must consider how to have an ethical relationship with it as a resource.
