Gatekeeper algorithms, such as those which determine the content you see on Instagram or Facebook, make decisions based on variables which it updates based on what the user does. Using Floridi’s...

Algorithms as moral agents
Giving the term ‘agent’ to anything is not an simple since the description of what an agent is, is complicated. Most researchers consider human beings as agents but do not consider animals as agents. However, Floridi proposes that even though living things like animals cannot be considered agents, artificial intelligence like those of gatekeeper algorithms can be considered agents. The reason for this, he proposes, is that such algorithms can make autonomous decisions without the interference of a third party (Floridi, & Sanders, 2004).
It is first important to understand what an algorithm is. An algorithm basically is a set of instructions that is given to a computer that constructs the way it should act when receiving certain data. Earlier on, computer algorithms were simple and performed simple tasks. However, with the evolution of technology, algorithms became smart. Today, algorithms are so smart that they can receive data from a user and autonomously process it and tailor content to the needs of a user. This is our artificial intelligence. Most social media websites, use this type of algorithm in order to get visitors to see the content they are interested in.
In order to define an ‘agent’ usually, two broad criteria are used. These two criteria include- first, having freewill and second, discretion between right and wrong. Human beings meet both these criteria and are thus considered as agents (with the exception of very young children). Animals on the other hand, do enjoy free will but do not have the power to differentiate between right and wrong. Thus, they are not considered agents. This definition of agents makes it clear that anything beside human beings would not fit into these criteria (Himma, 2009). However, Floridi came up with a new definition that could include artificial intelligence as agents.
According to Floridi, programs or bots such as gatekeeper algorithms that can...