Exam-style question
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Explain why the scale of modern software creates both opportunities and risks. In your answer, refer to the responsibilities of computer scientists and software engineers.
Model answer
What a good answer should say
- Software may be deployed across the whole world, so an individual design decision or algorithm can affect very large numbers of people.
- This creates opportunities to produce great good, for example by distributing, publishing, communicating and disseminating information.
- However, the same scale can allow software to cause great harm, including extensive monitoring or the collection and analysis of personal information.
- Computer scientists and software engineers therefore have responsibilities for the algorithms they devise and the code they deploy.
Explanation
Why this works
A strong answer connects global scale with both widespread benefits and widespread harm. It also explains that technical decisions are not value-free and that the people creating and deploying software have responsibilities arising from their power.
Common mistake
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