Special Issue on Governance Approaches for the Deployment of Narrow and Advanced AI-based Systems

This issue features interdisciplinary articles, opinions and reports from the fields of law, business and the philosophy of technology. Maja Brkan focuses on a highly topical subject, the impact of AI on democracy. Her article offers an assessment of the detrimental impact of social bots (algorithmic driven social media accounts) and targeted advertisements on online social networks. Nolen Gertz, Peter-Paul Verbeek and David Douglas use insights from Technical Mediation Theory (TMT) to show that cyber technologies do not only produce effects in cyberspace, but also have a profound impact on 'real life'. In his contribution, Steven Umbrello makes a compelling case for a ‘value sensitive’ approach when designing AI-empowered nanotechnology. Paul Nemitz’s and Arnd Kwiatkowski’s Opinion investigates whether it is feasible that large and new platforms, comparable to Whatsapp and Facebook, could be established in Europe. In the Report section, Jessica Schmeiss and Nicolas Friederici describe what is needed to drive the development of AI in Germany and examine the German government’s ‘AI made in Germany’ agenda. This issue also includes a new section: Outlook. In the Outlook section, experts from wide ranging technology-related fields are requested to express their views regarding a central theme connected to emerging technology. This time we asked our contributors to examine the business value of ethical tech. Concluding the issue, the Startup Digest features interviews with two businesses explicitly aiming to make a positive impact on society through the application of emerging technologies.  

Launched at the end of 2018, the first issue of Delphi set the stage for discussing big picture views with regard to the societal implications of emerging technologies such as AI, biotech and fintech. It featured articles in a style and language accessible to academics, policy makers and businesses alike. Providing a platform for critical and engaged conversations between representatives of this triangle remains Delphi’s central aim. With Articles and Opinions on topics such as Transparency in Algorithmic Processes, Robot-assisted Musical Therapy, Social Governance Aspects of Video Games, Intelligent Cooperations with AI and Lethal Autonomous Weapons, the latest issue of Delphi provides the reader with a 360°view on the most remarkable developments in emerging tech, offering state-of-the art insights into how these developments are shaping and reshaping the very fabric of our society. Additionally, the Startup Digest sheds light on how blockchain-based solutions increasingly impact the healthcare sector and how these approaches are being used to rethink data access, data ownership and analytics.   View all articles of Delphi 1/2019 for free. Write for us! View our Call for Papers 

Is Mark Zuckerberg listening in on your dinner conversation through your smartphone? Has China already created the first designer baby? How many accidents did the self-driving Tesla cause so far? With the increasing frequency of data breaches, the ever-growing impact of algorithms on individuals and society as well as the revolutionary advances in the field of gene-editing, what’s evident is that closer examination of emerging tech ethics – involving both thinkers and doers – is essential. Hosted by the Delphi Journal with the Impact Hub Berlin, our event 'Ethics in Emerging Tech' will zoom in on this controversial area, provide insight from tech professionals, start-ups, business, lawyers and academics and offer a platform to exchange ideas, concerns and solutions.  

Featuring contributions on self–driving cars, smart drugs, artificial intelligence and copyright and blockchain, Issue 1 of Delphi  will be of interest to anyone with how emerging technology is impacting society. View all articles of Delphi 1/2018.

You are interested in contributing to the journal? View our Call for Papers.

I. Submission

Please have a look at our Call for Papers for further information on submission deadlines. Spontaneous contributions are welcome and should be sent to Executive Editors Clara Hausin (hausin@lexxion.eu) and Jakob McKernan (mckernan@lexxion.eu).

II. Quality statement, editorial review and general terms of publication

Only submissions of excellent quality will be accepted in Delphi. Responsibility of the factual accuracy of a paper rests entirely with the author. All publications must clearly distinguish themselves from the status quo of discussions and provide an added value to them. Generally, contributions should not have been published before, nor be pending elsewhere, however, with respect to academic articles, we accept already published papers in case the content has been adapted to the requirements of Delphi in both format and style.

Submission of a manuscript does not imply claim for publication. Optionally, before submitting a manuscript, the editors may be contacted regarding the suitability of a given topic for Delphi.

The manuscript must also be complete and final in terms of formulation and factual information so that no major corrections – only of type-setting errors or the like – will be necessary after type-setting, when an edited version will be returned to the author. Subsequent requests for corrections cannot be processed.

III. Peer Review

To ensure the high quality of the journal, all contributions to the Articles section will be subject to double blind peer review. Reviewers are chosen based on their topical specialities, work and publication history, and shall be objective, independent and free of conflicts of interest. The choice and assignment of reviewers is at the sole discretion of the Editorial Team; details thereof shall not be discussed or made public, and authors may not make any requests in this regard. The identities of both authors and reviewers shall be protected as much as possible from each other and from any other parties, with the exception of the Editorial Team.

Authors are obliged to take part in the review process by remaining available for any changes, modifications, improvements etc as may be required by reviewers or the Editorial Team. These shall be considered as mandatory conditions for publication; authors shall strive to adopt them to the widest possible extent. Clear and objective justification shall be given by authors if any request has not been met. The Editorial Team reserves the right to return any insufficiently modified contribution to authors for further work, or to reject its publication.
Submissions to the sections Reports, Opinions and Reviews will be subject to a simplified review process. An external reviewer, chosen based on his/her topical specialities, work and publication history or a member of the Delphi Editorial Team checks the quality of the submission and provides feedback to the authors. This is not a blind process. As a final step, after the content is approved, every contribution to Delphi undergoes language and formatting editing.

IV. Style and format:

All contributions must comply with the minimum formatting requirements laid out hereunder. Contributions not respecting these formatting requirements will be returned to the author.

1. Style

Delphi is an interdisciplinary review read by professionals from different fields and sectors, therefore contributions must be written in an accessible and inclusive language. References and technical terms only understood by and known to professionals from particular areas of expertise need to be clarified either in the contribution itself or in the footnotes.

2. Format and length

Delphi features variable sections that aim to provide both in-depth information on current developments in emerging technologies and hands-on knowledge for the reader’s daily tech practice.

Sections:

• In the Articles section, professionals with a background in one of our key disciplines science & tech, ethics, economics, business and law share their view and analysis of important developments in emerging technologies. Contributions to this section must rely on pre-existing literature and facts. We encourage the submission of relevant contributions from authors with backgrounds in other disciplines as well.
• The Report section sheds light on trends and developments in emerging technologies in various countries worldwide or in specific fields (eg AI, biotech, fintech). Contributions can focus on particular geographic or subject areas or use a comparative approach. Both country and thematic reports are supposed to provide readers with a concise and comprehensible overview of their subject, as opposed to contributions to the Articles section, which are supposed to be academic and analytical. We welcome submissions from professionals with a background in one Delphi’s focus disciplines.
• The Opinion section encourages unsettling, provocative reflections on a focused subject of discussion. Contributions need to express the author’s personal view. We accept contributions from professionals as well as curious individuals if they meet the requirements stated in the author guidelines.
• Contributions to the Review section introduce the reader to new publications, films or video games and give a critical appraisal of the strengths and weaknesses of their treatment of emerging technologies. We highly encourage the authors to embed the object of the review into its larger context by referring to related key issues and debates.
  Also, we appreciate reviews of important tech events worldwide. The authors are welcome to critically discuss the entire event, however, reviews of particular speeches and presentations can also be submitted.
• The Startup Digest section aims to demystify what is happening on the ground by establishing a discourse via case studies and interviews with startups and grassroots initiatives. Each edition will take a critical look on how these movements apply emerging technologies to achieve a specific purpose – creating a discourse that makes the new approaches and their potential impact become more tangible. If you are interested in collaborating, please contact Associate Editor Anna Laesser (anna.laesser@impacthub.berlin).

	Articles	Opinions	Reports	Startup Digest	Reviews
Contribution Formats	Articles	Essays/ think pieces	Reports	Interviews, presentations, reports	Critical reviews
Words (incl. footnotes)	2500-4000	1000-2500	1500-2500	1000-2500	1000-2000
Critical Thinking	✅ analytical	✅	✅ descriptive	✅	✅
Footnotes	✅	optional	optional	optional	optional
Personal Comments	✅	✅	optional	✅	✅

 

3. Presentation

Title:

Every word in the title should be capitalised except for conjunctions (Headline Capitalisation). The title’s length should not exceed three lines after typeset (max. 150 characters including spaces).

Subtitles are allowed and should also not exceed the three lines rule (max. 200 characters including spaces).

Authors’ details:

Author(s) details should be included in a first asterisk footnote (*) inserted after the author’s/authors name(s).

Example:

Article Title

Christopher Bovis*

…….

* Prof. Christopher Bovis, H.K. Bevan Chair in Law, Law School, University of Hull; Managing Editor of the European Procurement and Public Private Partnership Law Review (EPPPL). For correspondence: <bovis@xyz.com>.

 

To do so: In the References ribbon tab, click the Footnotes launcher (lower right corner in the Footnotes section). There, place an asterisk into the custom mark: box, then click insert, and type your footnote text. All further footnotes should be numbered sequentially in superscript in the text outside punctuation marks.

Tables and figures:

Tables and figures should be submitted on extra pages. Every table should have a title. The relevant sources of the data presented or of the tables or figures themselves should be indicated. Within the text, the position at which a table is to be included should be marked by ‘[TABLE …]’, the tables and figures being clearly numbered. Every table should be referred to. To ease the typesetting process, please keep formatting within tables to a minimum (e.g. avoid merged cells or the use of vertical text for headings).

Abstract:

Each article is preceded by a short abstract (without heading) in italics of five to six sentences, without footnotes (approx. 200 words)

Headings:

Every word in a heading should be capitalised except for conjunctions (Headline Capitalisation). The headings should be structured as follows:

H1: I. (starting with the introduction)
H2: 1.
H3: a.
H4: i.

V. Quotation and referencing

All references should be included in the footnotes. No final bibliographies are allowed. The reference style is OSCOLA. All contributions should be submitted in British English.

Full guide

Quick guide

Submission – All pieces should be submitted in our house style in accordance with the Author Guidelines of the specific journal, available on their respective websites.

Authors guarantee that they have not submitted the (same or similar) manuscript elsewhere (including other publishing houses, online platforms etc) simultaneously, while waiting for the outcome of the review process. Authors who have submitted their manuscript for consideration to a Lexxion journal may publish a pre-peer review version of their work on the Social Science Research Network (SSRN). However, once the manuscript has been published in the journal, the authors have responsibility to remove the draft version from SSRN.

Disclaimer – Under no circumstances Lexxion Publisher can be held liable in respect of any material submitted and published, and cannot be held responsible for its content and accuracy by the contributing author. Nonetheless, we will, if notified and having satisfied ourselves of the bona fides of the notification, remove any content that might constitute a legal violation, such as material submitted in potential breach of copyright.

Copyright and Plagiarism – By submitting material for publication, the author guarantees that he or she is the original copyright holder of the work in question owning the legal rights to use the information. As such, Lexxion Publisher has no legal liability regarding any copyright claims, but will simply remove offending articles as/when we are advised of any breaches.

Review – All articles are subject to peer review in accordance with the Author Guidelines of the respective journal. A submission will be considered for publication in the next two issues after acceptance.  Longer processing may occur due to review processes or other factors determining the content of the issue such as the need to offer thematically balanced issues. The publication of any material submitted will be at the sole discretion of Lexxion Publisher.

Reservation of Rights – We reserve the right to accept, reject or remove any material submitted for publication with no explanation.

Offensive Content – Any material deemed defamatory, racist, or otherwise illegal or offending will in any case not be approved for publication.

Exclusive License for Publication and Copyright Transfer (Standard Publication) – By submitting materials, the author transfers all Copyrights of the work to Lexxion Publisher and grants us an exclusive, perpetual, royalty-free, worldwide license to publish any material the author submits to us in any format, including without limitation print and electronic formats. In particular, the author agrees that we can make it fully or partially available in the journal it was submitted to as well as in any other publications and/or media or social media of Lexxion Publisher, provided that due credit is given to the author.

Republication – Any form of republication by the author requires Lexxion Publisher’s prior approval. Nine months after the first publication, the author may discuss with the executive editor of the respective journal further publications of the published version of his or her contribution. If a contribution is republished, full reference should be made to its first appearance in the respective publication by Lexxion Publisher. If the digital version is republished, it must be guaranteed that the corresponding digital object index (DOI) is clearly stated. Republication as ‘self-archiving’ (such as in a personal or institutional website) are only allowed under the Open Access Publication policy described below.

Acknowledgment – The author acknowledges that any breach of the abovementioned warranties may cause us damage or loss and the author agrees to indemnify us in full and permanently against any third party liabilities, claims, costs, loss or damage we incur as a result of publishing material the author submits to us, including consequential losses.

Archiving – Lexxion Publisher maintains secure electronic backups of all past issues of its journals since 2002. In the event the publication of a journal is discontinued, it shall make all possible efforts to keep contents available to readers online, or by request, in any way it deems appropriate. Lexxion Publisher ceases to be responsible for backups and archives of extant journals which have been acquired by other undertakings, except if otherwise agreed upon with said undertakings.

Fees and Open Access Publication – No fees are applied under the standard publication policy. Lexxion does offer authors the possibility to publish Open Access (OA). Under the OA publication policy: i) the final published article is made freely accessible to the public immediately upon publication, ii) authors retain the rights to republish their work, iii) authors, their institutions or funding bodies are obliged to pay an OA fee. The amount of the OA fee per contribution is equivalent to the campus license subscription fee for the respective journal. Contributions published under the OA policy must still successfully pass peer review in accordance with the journal’s Author Guidelines. If the contribution does not pass peer review, authors do not pay an OA fee. It is also possible for authors to opt for the OA policy at any future point after publication.

Download Author Guidelines.

The need for clarity on agreed ethical standards for everyone involved in the publishing process (authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher) is a necessary publication prerequisite for all journals published by Lexxion Verlagsgesellschaft mbH (the publisher).

This statement is meant to be a resource to rely on in case of doubt or dispute.

This Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement is based on COPE’s Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors, which is also the reference text if further clarifications and information are needed.

The preparation for the publication of a journal is the charge of its Editorial Team, usually comprised of the Editorial Board, Managing Editors or Editors-in-Chief and Executive Editors. Other Editors may be appointed as necessary.

Editorial Board members are recognised experts in their fields and include academics, legal professionals, scientists, government and EU officials, and other authorities.

1. General Duties of the Publisher
   • Journals are accountable for the content published, through their reviewing and checking processes. Therefore they also hold the responsibility for deciding which contributions should be published. This choice is made on the basis of the quality and novelty of the material, and of its integrity in order to meet the needs of readers and authors.
   • Lexxion supports equal rights and opportunities; therefore every article submitted is taken into consideration and evaluated for its content, without discrimination on any of the grounds set forth in Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
   • Journals published by Lexxion do not disclose information on their evaluation of an article to any of the parties involved in its preparation for publication. The same applies to unpublished material, unless with the specific consent of the authors.
   • The publisher commits to act promptly in case any published material requires corrections of significant import, retractions, clarifications and apologies, as appropriate to each case. Corrections shall be adopted only if they refer to facts or events prior to the submission of the final manuscript and substantially affect the work. Minor or cosmetic corrections, including typos, updates, revisions etc will not be allowed after publication.
2. General Duties of the Editors
   • The members of the Editorial Teams shall act in a professional, balanced, fair and objective manner in carrying out their duties to the journal, without discrimination on any of the grounds set forth in Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
   • This shall apply to all situations, but especially the treatment of authors and assessment of submissions for publication. These shall be considered solely on the basis of the quality of their content and the ethical standards set herein.
   • The Editorial Teams shall duly follow these ethical guidelines and act diligently in cases of suspected misconduct, adopting reasonable measures and procedures to deal with complaints and conflicts.
   • Editors shall refrain from involvement in any review or situation in which a conflict of interests may arise.
3. General Duties of the Reviewers
   • Reviewers shall follow this PEMS and our other specific guidelines and provide an unbiased, non-personal, and objective review of the contributions submitted to them. The reviews must be a tool for improving the quality of the papers, therefore any criticism by the reviewers must be supported by strong arguments, be as clear and specific as possible and remain respectful at all times.
   • Reviewers must treat any submitted manuscript confidentially, and must not use the content to their advantage, unless otherwise agreed upon in writing with the publisher, who shall consult authors beforehand.
   • When accepting the review of a contribution, reviewers shall commit to following all mutually-agreed-upon deadlines and not unduly delay or postpone the review. If unwilling or unable to finish a review, reviewers shall promptly notify the Editorial Team, and attempt to the best of their abilities to find a replacement.
   • Reviewers must immediately inform the Editorial Team of any actual or potential conflict of interests, including those arising after the initiation of their review. The Editorial Team shall act accordingly based on this information.
4. General Duties of the Authors
   • Authors must present an accurate account of the work performed and provide or reference sufficient material to permit the check or replication of their work. If the work has more than one author, all of them must have significantly contributed to the research; conversely, all significant contributors shall be duly identified. If requested, authors shall clarify to the Editorial Team who was responsible for which part of the work.
   • Authors ensure the originality of their work and the proper citation of, reference or credit to the works of others present in their own, in terms of both specific quotation and general influence and guidance.
   • In accordance with Lexxion’s Terms and Conditions, authors shall not submit a contribution to multiple journals or publishers at the same time, nor shall they submit contributions already published (partially or as a whole), even if in another language.
   • Authors must verify and guarantee compliance with ethical standards in the treatment of participants (human or animal) and provide information about the procedures adopted in their studies. Any relevant financial support, direct involvement in a matter discussed in the work (such as judicial proceedings) or other relevant affiliations shall be clearly stated in the work.
   • In case an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their own published work it is the author’s responsibility to immediately notify the publisher or the journal’s Editorial Team, who shall act promptly as appropriate. Authors shall remain available to make such corrections at the request of the publisher or Editorial Team.
   • Authors shall pledge to follow this PEMS and the Author Guidelines of the respective publication, making sure that their work adheres to them entirely before submission. Contributions that do not do so may be summarily rejected.
   • Authors are obliged to take part in the review process by remaining available for any changes, modifications, improvements etc as may be required by reviewers and Editorial Teams. These shall be considered as mandatory conditions for publication; authors shall strive to adopt them to the widest possible extent. Clear and objective justification shall be given by authors if any request hasn’t been met. Editorial Teams reserve the right to return any insufficiently modified contribution to authors for further work, or to reject its publication.
   • Authors shall undertake to follow all assigned deadlines strictly, without undue or unjustified delays. Any delay must be communicated to the Editorial Team prior to the original deadline; failure to do so may result in the summary rejection of a contribution.
   • Upon the first submission of a manuscript, authors must clearly inform the publisher of any prior commitments or obligations they are under which may affect the licensing of their work, including (but not limited to) obligations to make research freely available. Failure to do so may incur the sole liability of the author.
5. Publication Ethics
   • Under no circumstance shall Lexxion publish any work where research misconduct (including but not limited to plagiarism) has knowingly occurred, nor encourage or knowingly allow such misconduct to take place. It shall take reasonable steps to identify and prevent the publication of such works.
   • In the event such misconduct or allegations thereof are brought to the attention of the publisher or Editorial Team, by any person whatsoever, they shall deal with such information as appropriate to each case. The identity of the source shall be protected unless this is explicitly waivered by the same.
   • The case shall be treated discretely and confidentially as much as possible or required by the situation, and no information or allegation shall be made public until the end of the inquiry, and only if so required.
   • All persons involved or alleged to be involved shall be given ample opportunity to clarify the matter.
   • The Editorial Teams and the publisher shall strive to seek the most accurate information possible to guide any decision.
   • Without prejudice to other actions, the publisher shall promptly correct, retract, remove or otherwise remedy any work it published in which misconduct has occurred.
   • The publisher reserves the right to seek judicial remedies, inform or alert professional associations, ethics committees, funding bodies, employers etc, or to take any other action it deems appropriate according to the severity of the misconduct.
6. Peer-review
   All articles submitted to a Lexxion journal are peer-reviewed. Review processes vary per journal and are described in their respective Author Guidelines. The choice and assignment of reviewers is at the sole discretion of the Editorial Team; details thereof shall not be discussed or made public, and authors may not make any requests in this regard.