Oxford News
Expert Comment: Ethics-washing and Us-washing
Professor Edward Harcourt
Given the surge of recent interest in AI ethics – which comes on the back of understandable worries about AI itself – most people are now familiar with the term ‘ethics-washing’.
Trickling into a linguistic channel already worn smooth by ‘green washing’ and before it of course ‘whitewashing’, ethics-washing means something like this: appearing to take some ethical anxiety about AI seriously and then tactfully dismissing it by applying a meaningless kitemark. It’s the AI ethics equivalent of getting a clean bill of health from a dishonest doctor.
An expression people will likely be less familiar with – or so I hope, because I think I have just invented it – is ‘us-washing’. This too is to be avoided, but because it’s a less familiar idea, some explanation is needed.
Us-washing is like ethics-washing except that what gets ethically whitewashed is not AI, but ourselves. It’s an important notion because it’s important to avoid an implication that’s all too easy to draw from my (justified) disdain for ethics-washing, that the bit of the world occupied by AI – a bit of the world that’s growing all the time – is ethically black and white: on one side big bad AI, and on the other good little us, with only ethics to defend ourselves. A serious AI ethics – indeed the serious ethical examination of anything – should not be in the business of lending respectability to these simplistic oppositions or to the idea that it is always the business of ethics to oppose AI, any more than it should be in the business of ethics-washing.
But why ‘us-washing’? The answer is that the simplistic picture which pits big bad AI against good little us ethically flatters us, and flatters us because to the extent that AI is bad – and surely it sometimes is and sometimes isn’t – its badness is our badness. Wagging our fingers at AI is thus a convenient way of whitewashing ourselves.
But why ‘us-washing’? The answer is that the simplistic picture which pits big bad AI against good little us ethically flatters us, and flatters us because to the extent that AI is bad – and surely it sometimes is and sometimes isn’t – its badness is our badness. Wagging our fingers at AI is thus a convenient way of whitewashing ourselves.
The mechanism at work here is the same as in scapegoating: the badness of the community is loaded symbolically onto the sacrificial animal so the community comes out ritually purified. Psychoanalysts find this mechanism all over the place, especially perhaps in practices of blaming: we project disquieting aspects of ourselves onto others and condemn them at a safe distance. That’s a lot easier than facing up to something disagreeable that’s within us.
Here is a more concrete example of what I have in mind. A few years back I was paying for something at a railway station and leant across – this bit of the story shows it must have been pre-COVID – to get my change. It was then that I spotted a little notice taped to the back of the cash register, ‘smile when you give change’. But what is a smile to order really worth? Routinizing smiles in this way nullifies the value of the human presence by reducing it to an instrument – supposedly – of customer satisfaction. But now don’t be surprised that the same species that invented these working practices also invented LLMs, indeed LLMs with human faces, that ‘ask’ you how you are feeling, or ‘commiserate’ with you when you have lost a relative. Humans – that is to say, we – did our very best with the production line to reduce our conspecifics to machines. No surprise, then, that we have now invented actual machines to do the same thing. (Indeed, that might be an improvement, as long as the humans can be found something else to do.)
Nor should this line of thought be mistaken for a counterblast against greedy producers, in which consumers are the innocents. That would be us-washing all over again.
It’s still a puzzle to me why people ‘chat’ to LLMs, because the very fact that LLMs are machines should mean that their ability to ‘listen’ for hours on end isn’t a sign of patience, and so has nothing like the value a patient human being would have.
But our appetite as consumers for instrumentalization – that is, for reducing something to its ability to gratify our desires – which is so vividly on display here has been well honed already by pre-digital consumerism, starting with people who are all smiles at the checkout but also roping in the Lonely Hearts column – remember those? – in which people recite a checklist of what they’re after in their perfect romantic partner.
The latest AI-driven iterations of these things – whether chatbots, dating websites or some third thing – should be no surprise at all. If we are uncomfortable with those inclinations within us that lead us to instrumentalize our fellow human beings, we’re surely not wrong.
But we should rein in our inclination always to point the finger at AI and own those less flattering features of ourselves.
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The incident took place on Tuesday (June 9) in the car park of The Beacon in Wantage.
A 34-year-old man was arrested, charged, and remanded for possession with intent to supply, and his vehicle was seized.
This was after 32 wraps of Class A drugs and a “significant amount of cash” were found on him.
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Thames Valley Police posted an update on their South Oxon and Vale of White Horse Facebook page this morning (Monday, June 15).
The statement said: “On June 9, 2026, our team was out looking for a vehicle that had recently piqued our interest. We located it in the car park of The Beacon.
“Now, he might have been there to pick up tickets for the open mic night, Rory Bremner, or even Noasis (who are there next week and apparently very good), but it was far more likely he was there to deal.
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“A search confirmed our suspicions: 32 wraps of Class A and a significant amount of cash were found on him.
“Thanks to previous chases, we blocked him in early and ensured he was safely detained.
“A 34‑year‑old male from outside the area was arrested, charged, and remanded for Possession With Intent to Supply. The vehicle was seized.”
The incident occurred at around 2pm yesterday (June 13), a white and blue BMW motorcycle and a grey Audi A3 were involved in a collision.
This was near the junction of B480 Watlington Road and Pettiwell, and Thames Valley Police officers attended the scene.
There was a large emergency response with the South-Central Ambulance Service and the “Helicopter Emergency Medical Service” also present.
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Police say that the rider of the motorcycle was a man in his 40s and that he sustained serious life-threatening injuries.
He remains in hospital receiving treatment at this current time, Thames Valley Police informs.
The driver of the grey Audi A3 has been arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and driving whilst over the specified limit for drugs.
From Wallingford, the 51-year-old man has been released under investigation whilst enquiries continue.
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Thames Valley Police is now appealing for witnesses following the serious road traffic collision in Garsington.
Investigating officer, PC Kerrie Ingham of the Roads Policing Unit said: “Firstly, I would like to thank the members of the public and the medical staff who stopped to assist.
“We are carrying out a thorough investigation into the circumstances of this collision, with a man being arrested at the scene shortly after police arrived, in attendance with paramedics from SCAS and HEMS.
“I would particularly like to hear from anyone who witnessed the grey Audi A3 driving northbound to the junction of B480 Watlington Road and Pettiwell prior to the collision.
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“I would also like to hear from anyone who witnessed the white and blue BMW motorcycle driving southbound towards the junction of the B480 Watlington Road and Pettiwell prior to the collision.
“If you saw either of these vehicles prior to the collision, or have dash-cam footage at around the time of the incident, please come forward.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Thames Valley Police by calling 101 or submitting a report via the website, quoting reference number 43260296300.
Alternatively, you can report this anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Nestled just off Burford’s sloping High Street, The Angel at Burford stands on Witney Street in a 17th-century stone building that has welcomed locals and travellers for generations.
Records and local guides trace the inn back to around 1652, and much of that period charm remains in place today, with low ceilings, original oak beams and thick stone walls creating an intimate atmosphere inside.
Open fireplaces, polished brass and traditional pub furnishings add to the sense of history, giving drinkers and diners an authentic coaching-inn feel in the heart of the market town.
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Over recent years, the pub has developed into an award-winning gastropub with rooms, picking up plaudits while still functioning as a relaxed local for residents.
With a proud Hook Norton Brewery sign outside, the bar within features a line-up of the Oxfordshire brewer’s cask ales.
Separate dining areas offer a mix of cosy corners and larger tables, allowing the kitchen to serve seasonal menus that focus on classic pub dishes, Cotswold produce and modern gastropub favourites.
Beyond the interior, one of the standout attractions is the outdoor space, which is easy to miss from the street.
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From the front bar, customers head along a corridor towards the rear of the building before emerging into a surprisingly spacious beer garden hidden behind the main frontage.
A high stone wall and surrounding buildings shelter this area, creating a secluded, almost secret walled garden that feels far removed from the bustle of Burford’s busy centre.
Landscaping has introduced planting, stone paving and plenty of wooden tables, so there is ample room for larger groups as well as quieter spots for couples and families.
Because the garden is fully enclosed and set back from the High Street, traffic noise quickly fades, so people can sit and chat in relative quiet while still being only a short walk from the centre of Burford.
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On a warm Cotswolds afternoon, the garden becomes a suntrap, with visitors able to sit among the greenery and enjoy a pint of Hooky or a meal in the open air.
Many first-time guests comment on the contrast between the modest street view and the generous outdoor space tucked away at the back, making the garden a particular draw in spring and summer.
Accommodation above the pub provides a small number of letting rooms, giving people the chance to stay overnight in Burford, often described as the “Gateway to the Cotswolds”.
Combining centuries of history, traditional interiors, brewery links and a picturesque hidden beer garden, The Angel continues to serve as a popular stop-off for both local drinkers and tourists exploring this part of Oxfordshire.
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