{"id":"https://openalex.org/W4415663615","doi":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-025-00559-8","title":"Hidden Agents, Explicit Obligations: A Linguistic Analysis of AI Ethics Guidelines","display_name":"Hidden Agents, Explicit Obligations: A Linguistic Analysis of AI Ethics Guidelines","publication_year":2025,"publication_date":"2025-10-29","ids":{"openalex":"https://openalex.org/W4415663615","doi":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-025-00559-8","pmid":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41160233"},"language":"en","primary_location":{"id":"doi:10.1007/s11948-025-00559-8","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-025-00559-8","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S14881475","display_name":"Science and Engineering Ethics","issn_l":"1353-3452","issn":["1353-3452","1471-5546"],"is_oa":false,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":true,"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/P4310319900","host_organization_name":"Springer Science+Business Media","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/P4310319900","https://openalex.org/P4310319965"],"host_organization_lineage_names":["Springer Science+Business Media","Springer Nature"],"type":"journal"},"license":"cc-by-nc-nd","license_id":"https://openalex.org/licenses/cc-by-nc-nd","version":"publishedVersion","is_accepted":true,"is_published":true,"raw_source_name":"Science and Engineering Ethics","raw_type":"journal-article"},"type":"article","indexed_in":["crossref","pubmed"],"open_access":{"is_oa":true,"oa_status":"hybrid","oa_url":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-025-00559-8","any_repository_has_fulltext":true},"authorships":[{"author_position":"first","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5068826551","display_name":"Tricia A. Griffin","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3144-9885"},"institutions":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/I34352273","display_name":"Maastricht University","ror":"https://ror.org/02jz4aj89","country_code":"NL","type":"education","lineage":["https://openalex.org/I34352273"]}],"countries":["NL"],"is_corresponding":true,"raw_author_name":"Tricia A. Griffin","raw_affiliation_strings":["Faculty of Science and Engineering, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands. griffin.triciaann@gmail.com","University College Maastricht, Zwingelput 4, Maastricht, 6211 KH, The Netherlands. griffin.triciaann@gmail.com","Faculty of Science and Engineering, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands","University College Maastricht, Zwingelput 4, Maastricht, 6211 KH, The Netherlands"],"raw_orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3144-9885","affiliations":[{"raw_affiliation_string":"Faculty of Science and Engineering, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands. griffin.triciaann@gmail.com","institution_ids":["https://openalex.org/I34352273"]},{"raw_affiliation_string":"University College Maastricht, Zwingelput 4, Maastricht, 6211 KH, The Netherlands. griffin.triciaann@gmail.com","institution_ids":["https://openalex.org/I34352273"]},{"raw_affiliation_string":"Faculty of Science and Engineering, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands","institution_ids":["https://openalex.org/I34352273"]},{"raw_affiliation_string":"University College Maastricht, Zwingelput 4, Maastricht, 6211 KH, The Netherlands","institution_ids":["https://openalex.org/I34352273"]}]},{"author_position":"middle","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5120175093","display_name":"Roos Goorman","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0005-0814-5997"},"institutions":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/I34352273","display_name":"Maastricht University","ror":"https://ror.org/02jz4aj89","country_code":"NL","type":"education","lineage":["https://openalex.org/I34352273"]}],"countries":["NL"],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Roos Goorman","raw_affiliation_strings":["Faculty of Science and Engineering, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands"],"raw_orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0005-0814-5997","affiliations":[{"raw_affiliation_string":"Faculty of Science and Engineering, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands","institution_ids":["https://openalex.org/I34352273"]}]},{"author_position":"middle","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5103272348","display_name":"Brian Patrick Green","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7125-3086"},"institutions":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/I16269868","display_name":"Santa Clara University","ror":"https://ror.org/03ypqe447","country_code":"US","type":"education","lineage":["https://openalex.org/I16269868"]}],"countries":["US"],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Brian P. Green","raw_affiliation_strings":["Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA, USA"],"raw_orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7125-3086","affiliations":[{"raw_affiliation_string":"Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA, USA","institution_ids":["https://openalex.org/I16269868"]}]},{"author_position":"last","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5001464237","display_name":"Jos V. M. Welie","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3701-3780"},"institutions":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/I34352273","display_name":"Maastricht University","ror":"https://ror.org/02jz4aj89","country_code":"NL","type":"education","lineage":["https://openalex.org/I34352273"]},{"id":"https://openalex.org/I4210140874","display_name":"Centre d'\u00e9tudes et de recherches internationales de Sciences Po","ror":"https://ror.org/045qk7v62","country_code":"FR","type":"facility","lineage":["https://openalex.org/I1294671590","https://openalex.org/I1294671590","https://openalex.org/I205092303","https://openalex.org/I4210140874","https://openalex.org/I4210150854"]}],"countries":["FR","NL"],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Jos V. M. Welie","raw_affiliation_strings":["Faculty of Science and Engineering, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands","St. Andr\u00e9 International Center for Ethics and Integrity, Saint Andr\u00e9 d'Ol\u00e9rargues, France"],"raw_orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3701-3780","affiliations":[{"raw_affiliation_string":"Faculty of Science and Engineering, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands","institution_ids":["https://openalex.org/I34352273"]},{"raw_affiliation_string":"St. Andr\u00e9 International Center for Ethics and Integrity, Saint Andr\u00e9 d'Ol\u00e9rargues, France","institution_ids":["https://openalex.org/I4210140874"]}]}],"institutions":[],"countries_distinct_count":3,"institutions_distinct_count":4,"corresponding_author_ids":["https://openalex.org/A5068826551"],"corresponding_institution_ids":["https://openalex.org/I34352273"],"apc_list":{"value":2390,"currency":"EUR","value_usd":2990},"apc_paid":{"value":2390,"currency":"EUR","value_usd":2990},"fwci":0.0,"has_fulltext":true,"cited_by_count":0,"citation_normalized_percentile":{"value":0.29341367,"is_in_top_1_percent":false,"is_in_top_10_percent":false},"cited_by_percentile_year":null,"biblio":{"volume":"31","issue":"6","first_page":"32","last_page":"32"},"is_retracted":false,"is_paratext":false,"is_xpac":false,"primary_topic":{"id":"https://openalex.org/T10883","display_name":"Ethics and Social Impacts of AI","score":0.9538999795913696,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/3311","display_name":"Safety Research"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/33","display_name":"Social Sciences"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/2","display_name":"Social Sciences"}},"topics":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/T10883","display_name":"Ethics and Social Impacts of AI","score":0.9538999795913696,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/3311","display_name":"Safety Research"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/33","display_name":"Social Sciences"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/2","display_name":"Social Sciences"}},{"id":"https://openalex.org/T12520","display_name":"Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment","score":0.008200000040233135,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/2805","display_name":"Cognitive Neuroscience"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/28","display_name":"Neuroscience"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/1","display_name":"Life Sciences"}},{"id":"https://openalex.org/T12026","display_name":"Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI)","score":0.005100000184029341,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1702","display_name":"Artificial Intelligence"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/17","display_name":"Computer Science"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/3","display_name":"Physical Sciences"}}],"keywords":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/agency","display_name":"Agency (philosophy)","score":0.758899986743927},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/normative","display_name":"Normative","score":0.7457000017166138},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/information-ethics","display_name":"Information ethics","score":0.559499979019165},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/meta-ethics","display_name":"Meta-ethics","score":0.5593000054359436},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/normative-ethics","display_name":"Normative ethics","score":0.4957999885082245},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/applied-ethics","display_name":"Applied ethics","score":0.4832000136375427},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/business-ethics","display_name":"Business ethics","score":0.4381999969482422},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/philosophy-of-science","display_name":"Philosophy of science","score":0.4043999910354614}],"concepts":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/C108170787","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3951828","display_name":"Agency (philosophy)","level":2,"score":0.758899986743927},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C44725695","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q288156","display_name":"Normative","level":2,"score":0.7457000017166138},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C93474598","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1662553","display_name":"Information ethics","level":2,"score":0.559499979019165},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C197549326","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q56003","display_name":"Meta-ethics","level":3,"score":0.5593000054359436},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C55587333","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1133029","display_name":"Engineering ethics","level":1,"score":0.5491999983787537},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C198626708","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1321845","display_name":"Normative ethics","level":2,"score":0.4957999885082245},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C59377095","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q538733","display_name":"Applied ethics","level":2,"score":0.4832000136375427},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C119232533","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q873451","display_name":"Business ethics","level":2,"score":0.4381999969482422},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C111472728","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9471","display_name":"Epistemology","level":1,"score":0.4250999987125397},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C110099512","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q59115","display_name":"Philosophy of science","level":2,"score":0.4043999910354614},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2776359362","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2145286","display_name":"Representation (politics)","level":3,"score":0.39100000262260437},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C143299363","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q900584","display_name":"Attribution","level":2,"score":0.37790000438690186},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2781439373","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11883221","display_name":"Moral agency","level":2,"score":0.3700000047683716},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C144024400","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q21201","display_name":"Sociology","level":0,"score":0.3628999888896942},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C15744967","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9418","display_name":"Psychology","level":0,"score":0.35749998688697815},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2780182762","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1630279","display_name":"Guideline","level":2,"score":0.32260000705718994},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C178125196","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3275362","display_name":"Nursing ethics","level":2,"score":0.3125},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C207665656","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5403493","display_name":"Ethics of technology","level":4,"score":0.3109999895095825},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C41008148","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q21198","display_name":"Computer science","level":0,"score":0.29010000824928284},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C26517878","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q228039","display_name":"Key (lock)","level":2,"score":0.27250000834465027},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C153997805","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q42240","display_name":"Research ethics","level":2,"score":0.2590000033378601},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C192906763","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3376512","display_name":"Practical reason","level":2,"score":0.2578999996185303},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C129362959","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1122446","display_name":"Computer ethics","level":4,"score":0.25609999895095825},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C503263630","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3655952","display_name":"Legal ethics","level":2,"score":0.2549999952316284}],"mesh":[],"locations_count":4,"locations":[{"id":"doi:10.1007/s11948-025-00559-8","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-025-00559-8","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S14881475","display_name":"Science and Engineering Ethics","issn_l":"1353-3452","issn":["1353-3452","1471-5546"],"is_oa":false,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":true,"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/P4310319900","host_organization_name":"Springer Science+Business Media","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/P4310319900","https://openalex.org/P4310319965"],"host_organization_lineage_names":["Springer Science+Business Media","Springer Nature"],"type":"journal"},"license":"cc-by-nc-nd","license_id":"https://openalex.org/licenses/cc-by-nc-nd","version":"publishedVersion","is_accepted":true,"is_published":true,"raw_source_name":"Science and Engineering Ethics","raw_type":"journal-article"},{"id":"pmid:41160233","is_oa":false,"landing_page_url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41160233","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4306525036","display_name":"PubMed","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":false,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/I1299303238","host_organization_name":"National Institutes of Health","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/I1299303238"],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":null,"license_id":null,"version":"publishedVersion","is_accepted":true,"is_published":true,"raw_source_name":"Science and engineering ethics","raw_type":null},{"id":"pmh:oai:cris.maastrichtuniversity.nl:openaire/9d617667-572e-43dd-9aee-e6025b32fc20","is_oa":false,"landing_page_url":"https://cris.maastrichtuniversity.nl/en/publications/9d617667-572e-43dd-9aee-e6025b32fc20","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4306402616","display_name":"Research Publications (Maastricht University)","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":false,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/I34352273","host_organization_name":"Maastricht University","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/I34352273"],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":null,"license_id":null,"version":"publishedVersion","is_accepted":true,"is_published":true,"raw_source_name":"Griffin, T A, Goorman, R, Green, B P & Welie, J V M 2025, 'Hidden Agents, Explicit Obligations : A Linguistic Analysis of AI Ethics Guidelines', Science and Engineering Ethics, vol. 31, no. 6, 32. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-025-00559-8","raw_type":"info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion"},{"id":"pmh:oai:europepmc.org:11379377","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/12572076","pdf_url":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12572076/pdf/11948_2025_Article_559.pdf","source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4306400806","display_name":"Europe PMC (PubMed Central)","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":false,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/I1303153112","host_organization_name":"European Bioinformatics Institute","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/I1303153112"],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":"cc-by-nc-nd","license_id":"https://openalex.org/licenses/cc-by-nc-nd","version":"submittedVersion","is_accepted":false,"is_published":false,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"Text"}],"best_oa_location":{"id":"doi:10.1007/s11948-025-00559-8","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-025-00559-8","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S14881475","display_name":"Science and Engineering Ethics","issn_l":"1353-3452","issn":["1353-3452","1471-5546"],"is_oa":false,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":true,"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/P4310319900","host_organization_name":"Springer Science+Business Media","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/P4310319900","https://openalex.org/P4310319965"],"host_organization_lineage_names":["Springer Science+Business Media","Springer Nature"],"type":"journal"},"license":"cc-by-nc-nd","license_id":"https://openalex.org/licenses/cc-by-nc-nd","version":"publishedVersion","is_accepted":true,"is_published":true,"raw_source_name":"Science and Engineering Ethics","raw_type":"journal-article"},"sustainable_development_goals":[],"awards":[],"funders":[],"has_content":{"pdf":false,"grobid_xml":false},"content_urls":null,"referenced_works_count":27,"referenced_works":["https://openalex.org/W597039002","https://openalex.org/W1514840475","https://openalex.org/W1991829205","https://openalex.org/W2006080990","https://openalex.org/W2023377725","https://openalex.org/W2094251476","https://openalex.org/W2155646922","https://openalex.org/W2478302380","https://openalex.org/W2498293234","https://openalex.org/W2504395178","https://openalex.org/W2902634493","https://openalex.org/W2919193235","https://openalex.org/W2948572934","https://openalex.org/W2953522645","https://openalex.org/W2953809940","https://openalex.org/W2985543011","https://openalex.org/W2989113827","https://openalex.org/W2996541402","https://openalex.org/W3003385079","https://openalex.org/W3026607820","https://openalex.org/W4205380409","https://openalex.org/W4213075434","https://openalex.org/W4281734941","https://openalex.org/W4292731246","https://openalex.org/W4319838745","https://openalex.org/W4387780733","https://openalex.org/W4393006581"],"related_works":[],"abstract_inverted_index":{"Since":[0],"2013,":[1],"many":[2],"organizations,":[3],"governments,":[4],"and":[5,61,87,98,113,128,210,213],"coalitions":[6],"have":[7],"issued":[8],"ethics":[9,79,162,172,220],"guidelines":[10,23,54,80,163,173],"aimed":[11],"at":[12],"achieving":[13],"ethically":[14],"sound":[15],"artificial":[16],"intelligence":[17],"(AI).":[18],"The":[19],"literature":[20],"evaluating":[21],"these":[22],"has":[24,55],"so":[25,158],"far":[26],"focused":[27],"more":[28,140,187],"on":[29,37,72],"what":[30],"is":[31,39,157],"in":[32,51,58,101,154,161],"them":[33,43,138],"(e.g.,":[34,44],"principles)":[35],"than":[36,143],"who":[38],"expected":[40],"to":[41,65,75,126,137,181],"enact":[42],"developers).":[45],"We":[46,90,199],"argue":[47],"that":[48,67,165],"ethical":[49,123,197],"agency":[50,99,124,147],"AI":[52,114,155,171],"Ethics":[53],"been":[56],"under-scrutinized":[57],"the":[59,82,117,122,134,146,149,166,179,201,204],"literature,":[60],"we":[62],"seek":[63],"here":[64],"fill":[66],"gap.":[68],"This":[69],"study":[70],"relies":[71],"transitivity":[73],"analysis":[74],"evaluate":[76,200],"87":[77],"operational":[78],"for":[81,217],"representation":[83],"of":[84,148,196,207,219],"moral":[85],"agents":[86,153],"their":[88,95],"agency.":[89,198],"identified":[91],"normative":[92,142],"key":[93],"words,":[94],"linguistic":[96],"function,":[97],"attribution":[100],"6,935":[102],"statements.":[103],"Our":[104],"findings":[105,202],"reveal":[106],"11":[107],"distinct":[108],"agents,":[109],"with":[110,169,215],"deployers,":[111],"developers,":[112],"systems":[115],"being":[116],"most":[118,151],"frequently":[119],"invoked.":[120],"However,":[121],"attributed":[125],"developers":[127],"deployers":[129],"was":[130],"overwhelmingly":[131],"implied,":[132],"while":[133],"tasks":[135],"assigned":[136],"were":[139],"often":[141,159],"descriptive.":[144],"That":[145],"two":[150],"powerful":[152],"development":[156],"hidden":[160],"reveals":[164],"challenges":[167],"associated":[168],"implementing":[170],"does":[174],"not":[175],"stem":[176],"merely":[177],"from":[178,185],"\u201cprinciples":[180],"practice\u201d":[182],"problem,":[183],"but":[184],"a":[186],"deeply":[188],"rooted":[189],"issue":[190],"regarding":[191],"how":[192],"guideline":[193],"authors":[194,218],"conceive":[195],"through":[203],"dual":[205],"lenses":[206],"agent":[208,211],"backgrounding":[209],"suppression":[212],"conclude":[214],"advice":[216],"guidelines.":[221]},"counts_by_year":[],"updated_date":"2026-01-13T01:12:25.745995","created_date":"2025-10-29T00:00:00"}