What is a key ethical concern with automation?

• A. The cost of energy.
• B. Balancing displacement of workers with creation of new jobs.
• C. The speed of data processing.
• D. The variety of consumer products.

Answer: (B)

The main concept here is the ethical tension that comes with automation: it can boost efficiency and prosperity, but it may also displace workers. The best answer highlights the need to balance those job losses with the creation of new opportunities, and emphasizes responsibilities like retraining, supporting workers through transitions, and ensuring fair distribution of benefits and burdens.

Why this is the best fit: automation changes the labor market, and ethically the focus is on how to manage that change so workers aren’t left behind. This includes giving people new skills, access to new kinds of jobs, and safeguards during periods of displacement. It’s about fairness and social responsibility—making sure the gains from automation don’t come at the expense of people’s livelihoods.

The other options touch on legitimate tech considerations but not the core ethical issue. Energy cost is a practical concern about efficiency and sustainability, not specifically about fairness to workers. The speed of data processing and the variety of consumer products are technical or market attributes, not central to the ethical question of how automation affects employment and social equity.