Question 2
Domain 1: Ethical Foundations and Decision FrameworksAn AI product team must decide whether to use a customer data practice that could increase short-term business value but appears to conflict with a stated obligation to respect user consent. Which reasoning approach is most appropriate if the decision should be guided primarily by whether the action aligns with the obligation itself rather than by its projected results?
Correct answer: B
Explanation
Duty-based reasoning is most appropriate when a decision should be judged by whether it fulfills a rule, obligation, or principle, rather than by the consequences it is expected to produce. — Duty-based versus outcome-based reasoning
Why each option is right or wrong
A. Use outcome-based reasoning, because the ethically correct choice is the one with the strongest projected business benefit.
Outcome-based reasoning evaluates actions by their results, not by whether they satisfy an obligation.
B. Use duty-based reasoning, because the ethically correct choice is the one that conforms to the relevant obligation or principle.
The scenario asks for the approach to use when the decision is guided primarily by whether the action aligns with an obligation to respect user consent rather than by projected results. Under duty-based reasoning, the central question is whether the action conforms to the duty or principle itself, which matches the stated decision criterion here.
C. Use outcome-based reasoning, because obligations matter only after the likely consequences have been compared.
Duty-based reasoning centers on obligations themselves; it does not make them secondary to predicted consequences.
D. Use duty-based reasoning, because it is the preferred method whenever a decision affects customers or business performance.
The choice between these approaches depends on whether duties or outcomes are primary, not on the business context alone.