Ethics in natural language processing: a systematic meta-analysis

Abstract

This study investigates the ethical considerations of Natural Language Processing (NLP) technologies, which are increasingly utilized in decision-making, content moderation, and creative fields. While significant research examines ethical issues in specific NLP applications, there is a lack of comprehensive frameworks covering ethics across the full range of NLP applications. To address this gap, we conducted a meta-analysis of the academic literature on NLP ethics. Our findings reveal a rapid expansion of research in this area, driven largely by the emergence of Large Language Models (LLMs). The literature is especially concentrated in healthcare and is primarly focused on identifying ethical challenges and defining ethical standards, whereas comparatively less attention is given to the design and implementation of practical ethical tools and standards. The most frequently discussed ethical values include accuracy, privacy, transparency and traceability, and bias mitigation. In contrast, environmental sustainability and explainability remain relatively underexplored areas. The analysis also suggests that geographic concentrations of research fundings, particularly in Western countries, may influence the ethical priorities reflected in the literature. By providing a systematic cross-domain synthesis of research trends, ethical concerns, and emerging gaps, this study contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of NLP ethics and highlights the need for broader ethical frameworks and stronger efforts to translate ethical principles into practice.