Ethical aspects of the development and use of artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology has seen a new wave of popularity in recent years. The advancement in generative AI and large-scale language models (LLM) is bringing new opportunities, increasing human efficiency, and changing entire industries. AI is rapidly infiltrating all aspects of our lives and taking the human-machine connection to a new level. But its rapid rise also brings new technical, economic, and above all ethical challenges, due to its wide impact on individuals and society. AI raises concerns in terms of privacy, discrimination, prejudice, security, transparency, or accountability. The main aim of this thesis is to identify, analyse and discuss key ethical issues and dilemmas related to AI and its use to contribute to a broader understanding and awareness of the need for ethical reflection in this field. The theoretical part of the thesis is devoted to an analysis of the historical and technological context, the relationship between AI and ethics, and a detailed discussion of the key ethical dilemmas associated with the adoption of AI. Based on the findings, a set of critical questions is constructed to test the responses of generative AI in different situations that may raise ethical concerns. In total, 10 leading LLMs are put to the test. Discussion of the results showed that some responses raise concerns from the perspective of moral maturity, generalization, or completely flawed results. The testing thus confirmed the constant need for human judgement, the importance of critical thinking and the indispensability of ongoing research.