ABSTRACT

This chapter will explore some of the ethical, moral and social issues and dilemmas which virtual humans introduce. There is currently very little understanding of exactly how virtual humans might be used in teaching, research, business or government organizations. It is also not clear how the use of virtual humans affects people’s disclosure of information or the quality of that information. What is certain, however, is that discussions around ethics must be at the forefront of the use of virtual humans. This chapter examines what it means to undertake ethical research in the context of virtual humans and examines issues such as technical ethics, design ethics, legal issues and social concerns, including honesty, plausibility and the nature of consent.