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Is using AI tools innovation or exploitation? 3 ways to think about the ethics
AI’s rapid evolution prompts ethical dilemmas across industries, raising questions about creators’ rights, societal impacts, and professional integrity, necessitating thoughtful reflection and balanced approaches.
Leo S. Lo, University of New Mexico
Artificial intelligence can be used in countless ways – and the ethical headaches it raises are countless, too.
Consider “adult content creators” – not necessarily the first field that comes to mind. In 2024, there was a surge in AI-generated influencers on Instagram: fake models with faces made by AI, attached to stolen photos and videos of real models’ bodies. Not only did the original content creators not consent to having their images used, but they were not compensated.
Across industries, workers encounter more immediate ethical questions about whether to use AI every day. In a trial by the U.K.-based law firm Ashurst, three AI systems dramatically sped up document review but missed subtle legal nuances that experienced lawyers would catch. Similarly, journalists must balance AI’s efficiency for summarizing background research with the rigor required by fact-checking standards.
These examples highlight the growing tension between innovation and ethics. What do AI users owe the creators whose work forms the backbone of those technologies? How do we navigate a world where AI challenges the meaning of creativity – and humans’ role in it?
As a dean overseeing university libraries, academic programs and the university press, I witness daily how students, staff and faculty grapple with generative AI. Looking at three different schools of ethics can help us go beyond gut reactions to address core questions about how to use AI tools with honesty and integrity.
Rights and duties
At its core, deontological ethics asks what fundamental duties people have toward one another – what’s right or wrong, regardless of consequences.
Applied to AI, this approach focuses on basic rights and obligations. Through this lens, we must examine not only what AI enables us to do, but what responsibilities we have toward other people in our professional communities.
For instance, AI systems often learn by analyzing vast collections of human-created work, which challenges traditional notions of creative rights. A photographer whose work was used to train an AI model might question whether their labor has been appropriated without fair compensation – whether their basic ownership of their own work has been violated.
On the other hand, deontological ethics also emphasizes people’s positive duties toward others – responsibilities that certain AI programs can assist in fulfilling. The nonprofit Tarjimly aims to use an AI-powered platform to connect refugees with volunteer translators. The organization’s AI tool also gives real-time translation, which the human volunteers can revise for accuracy.
This dual focus on respecting creators’ rights while fulfilling duties to other people illustrates how deontological ethics can guide ethical AI use.
AI’s implications
Another approach comes from consequentialism, a philosophy that evaluates actions by their outcomes. This perspective shifts focus from individuals’ rights and responsibilities to AI’s broader effects. Do the potential boons of generative AI justify the economic and cultural impact? Is AI advancing innovation at the expense of creative livelihoods?
This ethical tension of weighing benefits and harms drives current debates – and lawsuits. Organizations such as Getty Images have taken legal action to protect human contributors’ work from unauthorized AI training. Some platforms that use AI to create images, such as DeviantArt and Shutterstock, are offering artists options to opt out or receive compensation, a shift toward recognizing creative rights in the AI era.
The implications of adopting AI extend far beyond individual creators’ rights and could fundamentally reshape creative industries. Publishing, entertainment and design sectors face unprecedented automation, which could affect workers along the entire production pipeline, from conceptualization to distribution.
These disruptions have sparked significant resistance. In 2023, for example, labor unions for screenwriters and actors initiated strikes that brought Hollywood productions to a halt.
A consequentialist approach, however, compels us to look beyond immediate economic threats, or individuals’ rights and responsibilities, to examine AI’s broader societal impact. From this wider perspective, consequentialism suggests that concerns about social harms must be balanced with potential societal benefits.
Sophisticated AI tools are already transforming fields such as scientific research, accelerating drug discovery and climate change solutions. In education, AI supports personalized learning for struggling students. Small businesses and entrepreneurs in developing regions can now compete globally by accessing professional-level capabilities once reserved for larger enterprises.
Even artists need to weigh the pros and cons of AI’s impact: It’s not just negative. AI has given rise to new ways to express creativity, such as AI-generated music and visual art. These technologies enable complex compositions and visuals that might be challenging to produce by hand – making it an especially valuable collaborator for artists with disabilities.
Character for the AI era
Virtue ethics, the third approach, asks how using AI shapes who users become as professionals and people. Unlike approaches that focus on rules or consequences, this framework centers on character and judgment.
Recent cases illustrate what’s at stake. A lawyer’s reliance on AI-generated legal citations led to court sanctions, highlighting how automation can erode professional diligence. In health care, discovering racial bias in medical AI chatbots forced providers to confront how automation might compromise their commitment to equitable care.
These failures reveal a deeper truth: Mastering AI requires cultivating sound judgment. Lawyers’ professional integrity demands that they verify AI-generated claims. Doctors’ commitment to patient welfare requires questioning AI recommendations that might perpetuate bias. Each decision to use or reject AI tools shapes not just immediate outcomes but professional character.
Individual workers often have limited control over how their workplaces implement AI, so it is all the more important that professional organizations develop clear guidelines. What’s more, individuals need space to maintain professional integrity within their employers’ rules to exercise their own sound judgment.
Beyond asking “Can AI do this task?” organizations should consider how its implementation could affect workers’ professional judgment and practice. Right now, technology is evolving faster than collective wisdom in using it, making deliberate reflection and virtue-driven practice more essential than ever.
Charting a path forward
Each of these three ethical frameworks illuminates different aspects of our society’s AI dilemma.
Rights-based thinking highlights our obligations to creators whose work trains AI systems. Consequentialism reveals both the broader benefits of AI democratization and its potential threats, including to creative livelihoods. Virtue ethics shows how individual choices about AI shape not just outcomes but professional character.
Together, these perspectives suggest that ethical AI use requires more than new guidelines. It requires rethinking how creative work is valued.
The debate about AI often feels like a battle between innovation and tradition. But this framing misses the real challenge: developing approaches that honor both human creativity and technological progress and allow them to enhance each other. At its core, that balance depends on values.
Leo S. Lo, Dean and Professor, College of University Libraries and Learning Sciences, University of New Mexico
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Fifty volunteers joined Diana Gregory Outreach Services and community partners on November 5, with support from AARP, State Farm, and BHHS Legacy Foundation.
PHOENIX — Fresh produce and community support came together Thursday morning, November 5, 2026, as Veggies for Veterans distributed 700 grocery bags during an event hosted by the Phoenix VA Health Care System.
The Diana Gregory Outreach Services (DGOS) program brought together 50 volunteers to help provide veterans with nutritious food. Each bag contained a variety of 13 fruits and vegetables, according to the event results supplied by organizers.
The effort also received a contribution from Peddler’s Son, which donated a five-pound bag of Idaho potatoes and a bag of grapes for each veteran.
AARP, State Farm, and BHHS Legacy Foundation Lead Financial Support
AARP, State Farm, and BHHS Legacy Foundation were the event’s three largest financial sponsors, helping make the distribution possible.
Volunteers represented all three organizations, along with the Archer Ragsdale Arizona Chapter Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. Arizona Community Foundation and Santander also contributed volunteer support.
AARP Arizona State Director Dana Marie Kennedy attended the event. AARP’s participation included volunteers and an outreach table featuring candy and AARP-branded giveaway items for attendees and veterans.
Together, the financial contributions, donated food, and volunteer service supported an event centered on veterans and their access to fresh produce.
A Special Guest With a Remarkable Service History
Among those attending was 106-year-old Major Fannie Griffin McClendon, whose military career connects the gathering to an extraordinary chapter in American history.
McClendon served during World War II with the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, widely known as the “Six Triple Eight.” The historic unit of Black women soldiers helped process a massive backlog of military mail in Europe.
Her service continued beyond World War II. The Library of Congress documents her later career in the Air Force, including service as a squadron commander.
Her attendance offered an opportunity to recognize a veteran whose career helped break barriers for Black women in the military.
More Than a Bag of Groceries
Veggies for Veterans’ purpose extends beyond the food distributed at an individual event. The program focuses on helping veterans access fresh produce while creating opportunities for connection and community support.
Grocery costs, transportation, and mobility can make obtaining nutritious food difficult. Bringing produce directly to veterans through VA and community settings is one way the program works to address those barriers.
The November 5 distribution also reflected the collective work behind that support: an organization coordinating the effort, a VA host, financial sponsors, a food donor, and volunteers contributing their time.
With 700 bags distributed and 50 volunteers participating, the event demonstrated how community partnerships can translate into practical support for veterans.
Readers interested in learning more about the program, volunteering, or exploring ways to support its work can visit Diana Gregory Outreach Services.
Reporting note: Event results, sponsor recognition, donations, volunteer participation, and attendee information were supplied for this recap. Historical background on Major McClendon is supported by the Library of Congress.
Sources and Further Information
- Diana Gregory Outreach Services — Veggies for Veterans
- Phoenix VA — November 5 Veggies for Veterans event listing
- Library of Congress — Fannie Griffin McClendon
Automotive
2027 Toyota Tundra Adds Trailhunter Package and Updated Technology
The 2027 Toyota Tundra adds a Trailhunter package, refreshed styling and a standard 14-inch touchscreen. Starting MSRP is $42,890.
Last Updated on November 7, 2026 by Daily News Staff
PLANO, Texas — Toyota is updating the 2027 Tundra with refreshed exterior styling, a new Trailhunter package and additional technology for its full-size pickup lineup.
2027 Toyota Tundra: Trailhunter Package and Tech Updates
Based on the SR5 grade, the Trailhunter package adds Old Man Emu suspension, Michelin all-terrain tires, front recovery hooks and extra underbody protection. A locking rear differential, Multi-Terrain Select and Crawl Control help drivers navigate challenging terrain, while bronze-colored wheels distinguish the package.
The TRD Pro receives newly designed, adjustable FOX Q3S shocks, standard red tow hooks and a new Honeycomb paint option.
Inside, a 14-inch multimedia touchscreen becomes standard. Toyota also adds a built-in drive recorder and makes Toyota Safety Sense 4.0 standard across the lineup. Gas and i-FORCE MAX hybrid powertrains remain available.
Toyota lists the 2027 Tundra with a starting MSRP of $42,890. Buyers should check destination charges, options and dealer pricing when comparing total costs.
Sources:
health and wellness
Flu Season Arrives Early: Walgreens Launches 2026-2027 Flu Index as Activity Rises Across the U.S.
The 2026-2027 flu season is tracking four weeks ahead of recent years. Explore Walgreens’ new Flu Index, rising activity, and ways to stay protected.
Last Updated on November 6, 2026 by Daily News Staff
2026-2027 Flu Season: New tracking data suggests influenza activity is running approximately four weeks ahead of recent seasons, with increases reported across western states and Florida.
2026-2027 Flu Season Starts Early as Walgreens Launches New Flu Index
STM Daily News | Health & Wellness
October 30, 2026
Flu season may be getting an early start this year, and a new online tracking tool from Walgreens is giving Americans a closer look at respiratory illness activity in their communities.
On October 21, Walgreens announced the launch of its 2026-2027 Flu Index, an interactive tool that monitors influenza, COVID-19, and other acute respiratory illnesses across the United States.
According to the company’s initial findings, national flu activity is tracking approximately four weeks ahead of recent flu seasons, with increasing activity reported across several western states and Florida.
The early trends serve as a reminder that influenza doesn’t necessarily wait until winter to begin spreading.
Flu Activity Is Increasing Earlier Than Expected
Walgreens reports that its early-season data indicates influenza activity is already increasing in multiple parts of the country.
The company’s findings include:
- Earlier flu activity: National flu activity is tracking approximately four weeks ahead of recent seasons.
- Regional increases: Several western states and Florida are experiencing rising activity.
- More antiviral prescriptions: Walgreens reports dispensing more flu antiviral medications than during the same period in 2025.
- Growing demand for cold and flu products: Sales of cold and flu medications, at-home respiratory illness tests, cough drops, and tea have increased by double-digit percentages compared with last year.
Although these indicators suggest respiratory illness activity is increasing, they do not necessarily mean the current flu season will be more severe than previous seasons.
Increased purchases of cold medications and testing products can reflect changes in consumer behavior as well as illness trends.
The findings come from Walgreens’ pharmacy and retail data and should be considered alongside public health surveillance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
What Is the Walgreens Flu Index?
The Walgreens Flu Index is an interactive online platform designed to help consumers understand where respiratory illnesses are circulating and how activity is changing over time.
The tool combines several types of information, including:
- Flu and COVID-19 testing data from Walgreens locations
- Prescription antiviral medication trends
- Over-the-counter cold and flu product purchases
- Geographic patterns in respiratory illness activity
Using these indicators, Walgreens calculates an activity score ranging from 0 to 10.
A score of zero represents the lowest level of activity, while a score of ten represents the highest.
The index provides weekly information for states and territories, along with more than 1,500 counties where sufficient Walgreens data is available.
The map is updated every Monday, allowing users to compare current activity with previous weeks and the prior flu season.
Importantly, Walgreens emphasizes that the index measures relative illness activity, not disease severity. A higher score does not necessarily indicate more hospitalizations, more serious infections, or a greater risk of complications.
The index also does not represent a complete count of influenza cases nationwide.
Explore the interactive map:
https://www.walgreens.com/seasonal/respiratory-illness-index
Why Local Flu Activity Matters
Influenza does not spread evenly across the country.
Some communities may experience increasing cases weeks before others, making local information useful for families, schools, healthcare providers, and individuals who may be at higher risk of complications.
“Flu activity can vary significantly from one community to another, and knowing what’s happening locally can make a real difference,” said Rick Gates, Walgreens’ chief pharmacy and enterprise external affairs officer.
Gates added that the index is intended to help people make informed decisions about prevention, including vaccination before influenza becomes more widespread in their communities.
For residents of states such as Arizona, California, Nevada, and other western states, the reported regional increases make monitoring local respiratory illness trends particularly relevant.
However, the company’s announcement does not establish that every western county is experiencing elevated flu activity. Readers should consult the latest local data for a more accurate picture.
Why Getting a Flu Shot Still Matters
Annual influenza vaccination remains an important tool for reducing the risk of flu illness and serious complications.
Because influenza viruses change over time, flu vaccines are reviewed and updated each season to target strains expected to circulate.
The CDC recommends annual influenza vaccination for most people ages six months and older, with rare exceptions.
Vaccination is especially important for people who face a greater risk of serious complications, including:
- Adults ages 65 and older
- Young children, particularly those younger than five
- Pregnant individuals
- People with chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease
- People with weakened immune systems
For adults 65 and older, the CDC preferentially recommends certain enhanced influenza vaccines, including higher-dose, recombinant, or adjuvanted options, when available.
Walgreens says its pharmacies offer standard-dose and higher-dose vaccines, along with a new mRNA influenza vaccine at select locations.
Vaccine selection should follow current CDC recommendations, individual eligibility, and guidance from a qualified healthcare professional.
It generally takes about two weeks after vaccination for the body to develop protective antibodies.
Even if influenza is already circulating locally, vaccination can still provide benefits throughout the season.
Practical Ways to Reduce Your Risk of Getting Sick
Vaccination is an important preventive measure, but it is not the only step people can take to reduce the spread of respiratory illnesses.
Public health guidance also encourages several everyday precautions.
Wash your hands regularly. Use soap and water, particularly after touching shared surfaces or being in public places. Alcohol-based hand sanitizer can help when soap and water are unavailable.
Cover coughs and sneezes. Use a tissue or your elbow to reduce the spread of respiratory droplets.
Improve indoor air quality. Opening windows when practical, improving ventilation, and using appropriate air filtration can help reduce exposure to airborne respiratory viruses.
Avoid close contact when sick. Staying home when experiencing respiratory illness symptoms can help protect coworkers, classmates, friends, and family members.
Consider wearing a well-fitting mask. Masks can provide an additional layer of protection, particularly in crowded indoor spaces or around people at higher risk.
Pay attention to symptoms. Fever, coughing, sore throat, fatigue, muscle aches, and congestion can occur with influenza and other respiratory infections.
Because flu and COVID-19 can produce similar symptoms, testing may help determine the cause of an illness.
People at higher risk of complications should contact a healthcare professional promptly if flu symptoms develop. Prescription antiviral medications work best when started early, ideally within the first two days of symptoms, although treatment can still benefit some patients later.
Walgreens Expands Vaccination Access for the 2026–2027 Season
Alongside the launch of its Flu Index, Walgreens announced several efforts to make seasonal vaccinations more convenient.
The company says it is increasing pharmacy staffing, expanding appointment availability, and allowing customers to schedule vaccinations further in advance.
Customers can arrange appointments through several methods:
- Online: https://www.walgreens.com/ScheduleVaccine
- Mobile: Walgreens app
- Text: Send “Flu” to 66879
- Telephone: 1-800-WALGREENS
- Walk-in: Participating Walgreens pharmacies, subject to availability
Walgreens also announced promotional Walgreens Cash rewards for eligible myWalgreens members receiving vaccinations.
Under the limited-time promotion, qualifying members may earn $15 in Walgreens Cash rewards on eligible purchases, along with an additional 10% back on qualifying purchases for a limited period.
Restrictions, exclusions, geographic limitations, and promotional deadlines apply. Customers should review the official terms before participating.
What About COVID-19 and Other Respiratory Illnesses?
Although influenza is the primary focus of the seasonal announcement, the Walgreens Flu Index also tracks COVID-19 and broader acute respiratory illness trends.
This distinction matters because several respiratory viruses can circulate simultaneously during the fall and winter months.
Influenza, COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and common cold viruses can produce overlapping symptoms, but their potential complications and recommended treatments differ.
Vaccination eligibility and recommendations also vary by disease, age, and individual health circumstances.
Readers should consult current CDC guidance and their healthcare providers when considering flu, COVID-19, or RSV vaccination.
The Bottom Line: Flu Season May Be Early, but Prevention Still Matters
The launch of the 2026–2027 Walgreens Flu Index offers another resource for Americans who want to monitor respiratory illness activity in their communities.
While Walgreens’ early findings suggest influenza activity is increasing sooner than in recent years, it is still too early to determine how severe the overall season will become.
The most important message for consumers is to prepare before respiratory illnesses become widespread.
Staying current with recommended vaccinations, practicing good hygiene, monitoring local illness trends, and seeking medical attention when appropriate can help reduce the risk of serious illness.
With flu activity already rising in some regions, now is a good time for families to review their seasonal health plans.
Related Links for Further Information
Walgreens Resources
- Walgreens Respiratory Illness Index — Interactive map showing respiratory illness activity across the United States.
- Walgreens Vaccination Scheduling — Schedule a flu vaccination or explore available vaccines.
Public Health Resources
- CDC Seasonal Influenza Information — Information about influenza symptoms, prevention, vaccination, and treatment.
- CDC FluView Surveillance — National influenza surveillance and weekly activity reports.
- CDC: Flu and People 65 Years and Older — Guidance for older adults and influenza vaccination.
- CDC Respiratory Illnesses — Prevention information for flu, COVID-19, and RSV.
Source: Walgreen Co., press release, October 21, 2026, Walgreens Launches 2026–2027 Flu Index as Activity Tracks Four Weeks Ahead of Recent Seasons.
Editor’s Note: This article summarizes information from Walgreens’ October 21, 2026, announcement. The reported early-season trends reflect the company’s findings at that time and are not a substitute for current CDC surveillance or medical advice. Readers should consult healthcare professionals about individual vaccination and treatment decisions.
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