Virtue Ethics and Emerging Technologies: Ethical Challenges in AI, Robotics, and Affective Computing

This article examines the contribution of virtue ethics to the ethical assessment of emerging digital technologies, focusing on artificial intelligence, cybernetics and robotics, and affective computing. Unlike deontological and consequentialist approaches, virtue ethics places moral character, practical wisdom, and human flourishing at the center of ethical reflection. From this perspective, algorithmic and autonomous systems should be evaluated not only in terms of efficiency or rule compliance, but also in light of their effects on dignity, autonomy, responsibility, fairness, and social well-being. The chapter discusses opacity, explainability, accountability, and bias in artificial intelligence, including the importance of explainable systems in clinical decision support. It then considers distributed responsibility in autonomous systems, the ethical implications of autonomous vehicles and weapons, the role of social robots, and the opportunities and risks of robotic interventions in autism care. Finally, it examines affective computing as a field that offers significant therapeutic and educational potential while also raising concerns about privacy, manipulation, surveillance, and discrimination. It is concluded that virtue ethics provides a valuable framework for guiding technological innovation toward transparency, accountability, and human flourishing.