Is It Possible to Make Chatbots Virtuous? Investigating a Virtue-Based Design Methodology Applied to LLMs

Abstract: With the rapid growth of LLMs, criticism of their societal impact has also grown. Work in Responsible AI (RAI) has focused on the development of AI systems aimed at reducing harm. Responding to RAI's criticisms and the need to bring the wisdom traditions into HCI, we apply Conwill et al.'s Virtue-Guided Technology Design method to LLMs. We cataloged new ethical design patterns for LLMs and evaluated them through interviews with technologists. Participants valued that the patterns provided more accuracy and robustness, better safety, new research opportunities, increased access and control, and reduced waste. Their concerns were that the patterns could be vulnerable to jailbreaking, were generalizing models too widely, and had potential implementation issues. Overall, participants reacted positively while also acknowledging the tradeoffs involved in ethical LLM design.