| Date | May 2022 | Marks available | 12 | Reference code | 22M.1.HL.TZ0.6 |
| Level | HL | Paper | 1 | Time zone | no time zone |
| Command term | Discuss | Question number | 6 | Adapted from | N/A |
Question
Robotic Surgery
Sandy Parkar, the manager of a large hospital, is considering using robots controlled by surgeons to carry out surgical procedures. The surgeon uses a computer console to control the robot (see Figure 5).
Figure 5: Robotic surgery
[Source: mathisworks / iStock.]
All the robot’s movements, and the surgical procedure, are recorded. This allows information to be collected about each procedure.
In 2022, a patient died while undergoing a surgical procedure in which a surgical robot was used. Sandy claims the manufacturer of the robot should be accountable. This was contested by the manufacturer, and a court case followed to determine who was accountable.
Discuss whether the surgeon, the manufacturer of the surgical robot, or the hospital manager should be held accountable.
Markscheme
Answers may include:
The surgeon is accountable if:
- it can be proved that they did not use the robotic tools appropriately (values)
- they conducted the operation without having completed the required training courses
- they didn’t have enough experience with the robotic equipment (values).
The manufacturer of the surgical robot is accountable if:
- it can be proved that the robot has failed/is unreliable (i.e., been unable to complete the task that the manufacturer has claimed it is able to do).
- the robot has been sold to the hospital with claims that it is able to carry out tasks it cannot perform (values).
- parts in the robot have not functioned properly (systems).
- there are errors in the software that created the problem (systems).
- a component of the robot was deemed defective but was not recalled (systems).
- the robot itself has caused an injury, e.g. unintended cauterizing burns from the robot’s cauterizing tool (systems).
The hospital manager is accountable if:
- the surgeon has not been given sufficient training to be able to competently use the robot (values).
- the robot has been purchased and used in the hospital without due diligence (values).
- the system has not been properly maintained (values).
- data that was critical to the operation of the system was not in the patient’s medical record at the hospital (values).
- the nurse physically in the operating room when the surgical robot was used was not qualified (i.e., lack of training, lack of experience).
In this question it is expected there will be a balance between the terminology related to digital systems and the terminology related to social and ethical impacts.
Keywords: health, training, data, cost, reliability, accountability, privacy, change, power, systems, values, ethics
Refer to HL paper 1 Section B markbands when awarding marks. These can be found under the "Your tests" tab > supplemental materials > Digital society markbands and guidance document.
Examiners report
Syllabus sections
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22M.1.HL.TZ0.5:
Cameras in school
The principal at Flynn School has received requests from parents saying that they would like to monitor their children’s performance in school more closely. He is considering extending the school’s IT system by installing cameras linked to facial recognition software that can record student behaviour in lessons.
The facial recognition software can determine a student’s attention level and behaviour, such as identifying if they are listening, answering questions, talking with other students, or sleeping. The software uses machine learning to analyse each student’s behaviour and gives them a weekly score that is automatically emailed to their parents.
The principal claims that monitoring students’ behaviour more closely will improve the teaching and learning that takes place.
Discuss whether Flynn School should introduce a facial recognition system that uses machine learning to analyse each student’s behaviour and give them a score that is automatically emailed to their parents.
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21N.1.HL.TZ0.6:
Smart warehouse
Greenwood Industries’ warehouse uses a smart storage solution for the picking of products from the shelves of the warehouse. Robots are used in this automated picking process.
Currently, these robots are programmed to access a knowledge base* that enables these robots to use the most efficient route for the picking of products.
Greenwood Industries claims the picking process would be improved if the expert system was replaced by an artificial neural network (ANN).
Discuss whether Greenwood Industries should replace the existing system with one that uses an artificial neural network (ANN).
* knowledge base: a set of rules that are manually input into an expert system.
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18M.3.HL.TZ0.3:
The students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) want to be included in school activities and have appropriate access to the curriculum.
The two interventions influence a student’s identity in the classroom.
Evaluate the impact of educational digital technologies, such as social robots and assistive technologies, on the identity of students with SEND in Tayton School.
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19M.1.HL.TZ0.6:
Should we completely automate journalism?
Some of the news articles that you read are written by automated journalism software. This software uses algorithms and natural language generators to turn facts and trends into news stories.
Narrative Science, a company that produces automated journalism software, predicts that by 2026 up to 90 % of news articles could be generated by machine learning algorithms.
Discuss whether it is acceptable for news articles to be generated by automated journalism software.
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17N.1.SL.TZ0.4c:
Robbi’s website claims that, “Robbi is friendly, helpful and intelligent. He can sense and respond, and learns as you engage with him”. Some of the customers who own Robbi are considering whether they could extend the range of tasks Robbi could perform, or whether they should allow Robbi to make decisions for them.
To what extent should individuals rely on social robots like Robbi to act as decision-makers for them?
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18M.1.HL.TZ0.6:
Policing as a human activity?
Toby Walsh, Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the University of New South Wales, Australia, notes that the use of police robots raises “many important questions that we, as a society, have to think about”.
Singapore has started testing patrol robots that survey pedestrian areas in the city-state. Xavier, the mall-cop robot, will be autonomously rolling through the Toa Payoh central district for three weeks scanning for “undesirable social behaviours”.
Figure 4 shows an example of a patrol robot.
Figure 4: An example of a patrol robot
[Image by Jdietsch. PatrolBot.jpg (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PatrolBot.jpg).
Under copyright and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 International License,
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en (image cropped)]
It has been claimed that the use of patrol robots will lead to more efficient policing.Discuss the extent to which police departments should use patrol robots as a strategy to aid policing.
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19N.1.HL.TZ0.6:
Automated medical image analysis
EBBZS IT, based in Groningen, the Netherlands, intends to develop a system using artificial intelligence (AI) to help doctors at Joelstraat Hospital interpret medical images.
Due to the high resolution* of the digital images (see Figure 4), EBBZS IT claims the AI system will be able to learn from these images to assist doctors when diagnosing patients’ illnesses.
EBBZS IT also claims the AI system will be able to cope with the significant increase in the volume of patients and the increased complexity of their symptoms and conditions.
Figure 4: Examples of digital images used in the AI system
[National Institutes of Health: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:
Human_ brain_development_1wk-3mo-1yr-2yr-10yr-T1W-MRI.PNG]
* resolution: the detail an image holds. It can be measured in pixels per centimetre.
Discuss the claim by EBBZS IT that the diagnosis of patients’ illnesses should be based on the information provided by the AI system. -
21M.1.HL.TZ0.5:
A cashless society
In the near future, it is possible that cash will not be accepted as a means of payment in Sweden. People are already using alternative ways of paying, such as mobile payment, card payment and internet payment. Currently, over 95% of citizens in Sweden have internet access.
Many people in Sweden claim there are advantages of using an app developed by Swish. The Swish app allows friends to share a restaurant bill, pay where credit or debit cards are not accepted, for babysitting or parking tickets, or make a donation at church.
However, other people in Sweden claim that making the Swish app the only means of payment may increase inequalities within the country.
Discuss whether countries should pass legislation making apps such as Swish the only means of payment.
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17N.1.HL.TZ0.5:
Using a Segway with machine learning capabilities?
The Segway Patroller is a two-wheeled, battery-powered electric vehicle. Recently, Segway Patrollers have been used for security purposes in cities as well as in public spaces such as concerts, railway stations and shopping malls.
The Segway Patroller can travel up to a speed of 20 kilometres per hour (about 12 miles per hour) and travel about 40 kilometres (25 miles) in distance before the battery needs to be recharged.
Figure 3: A Segway Patroller
[Copyright: Urban Mobility GmbH – from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Segway_Polizei_4.jpg]
Each Segway Patroller can be customized by adding the following features.- A global positioning system (GPS)-based navigation system
- Machine learning capabilities that include speech, image and pattern recognition
The managers at Oliverstadt Station claim the introduction of upgraded Segways that have a GPS navigation system and machine learning capabilities would lead to improvements in the customer service provided.
Discuss whether the Segway Patrollers at Oliverstadt Station should be upgraded to include machine learning capabilities.
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18M.3.HL.TZ0.4:
With reference to the stimulus material and your own inquiries, recommend whether Tayton School should use social robots and/or assistive technologies to ensure students with SEND can be further integrated into the school.
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17N.1.HL.TZ0.6:
The human face of student counselling
Many Diploma Programme (DP) coordinators are finding they do not have enough time to interview every student before they choose their DP subjects. They are considering purchasing the Student Counselling System, a proprietary management information system (MIS).
The developers of the Student Counselling System claim that, if students complete online questionnaires to determine their interests, abilities and future goals, the system can give them very accurate results, resulting in less than 5% of students changing their diploma subjects. They also claim the Student Counselling System will allow DP coordinators to be able to interview every student, something they cannot do now.
Some DP coordinators have concerns about the automation of this process and believe that advising students is something that is best done by relying on their own professional judgement and intuition.
Discuss whether DP coordinators should rely on the recommendations of the Student Counselling System rather than their own professional judgement and intuition when advising students about what DP subjects to study.
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21N.1.HL.TZ0.5:
Smart farming
A government in East Africa is using the expertise of scientists at a university in the region to promote the culture of smart farming and increase the productivity of farmers (see Figure 5). To do this, they have developed an app that the farmers can use to assist them in their decision-making.
Figure 5: An example of farming in East Africa
[Palmer, N., 2010. A farmer at work in Kenya’s Mount Kenya region [image] [online] Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2DU_Kenya_86_(5367322642).jpg (CC BY-SA 2.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en [Accessed 18 May 2020].]
Unfortunately, the scientists who developed the app have received many complaints from farmers who have been unable to use it. They are considering two options:
- making the existing system more user-friendly
- educating the farmers to use the existing system.
The scientists claim by making changes to the app it will make the app more user-friendly for the farmers. However, the farmers claim it would be better to provide them with education, such as training, so they can use the existing app.
Evaluate these two claims.
