Ethics of AI: Safeguarding Humanity

Data privacy. Intrinsic bias. Robot rights. As artificial intelligence evolves, so do the many controversies that surround the use of this advanced technology. From military drones to shopping recommendations, AI is powering a wide array of smart products and services across nearly every industry—and with it, creating new ethical dilemmas for which there are no easy answers. 

As technology continues to develop at an unprecedented rate, those involved with AI often lack the tools and knowledge to expertly navigate ethical challenges. In response, MIT Professional Education is pleased to introduce an exciting new course, Ethics of AI: Safeguarding Humanity.

Led by MIT experts Bernhardt L. Trout and Stefanie Jegelka, this course examines today’s most pressing ethical issues related to AI and explores ways that organizations can leverage technology to benefit mankind. Over the course of two intensive days, you will:

• Deepen your understanding of the technological basis of AI
• Explore key ethical issues related to the technology’s production and implementation
• Examine the relationship between AI and politics, from warfare to the manipulation of public opinion
• Analyze machine bias and other ethical risks
• Assess the individual and corporate responsibilities related to AI deployment

Ultimately, you will redirect your thinking from what is merely advantageous to what is genuinely good—and return to your workplace prepared to help your organization navigate the ethical aspects of AI development and deployment.

The Ethics of AI: Safeguarding Humanity course explores the key ethical issues of AI using case studies and foundational readings. Topics include trade-offs between safety and progress, intrinsic bias, the significance of models, AI and rights, and the issues of AI depending on the political regime. Instruction will focus on gaining clarity of the key issues and how to think about them.

The participants of this course will be able to:

• Understand the technological basis of ethics in AI 
• Examine what it means to be human, and what differentiates humans from machines
• Gain clarity of key topics in ethics of AI, including intrinsic bias and the significance of models 
• Explore issues of AI in safety and progress, human rights, and politics
• Discuss AI and individual responsibility

Program Outline
Class runs from 9:00am - 5:30pm on Mon and Tues; 9:00am - 12:30pm on Wed

Day 1
Session 1: Overview: What Is at Stake
Session 2: Technical overview
Session 3: What is Thinking and Can Machines Think?
Session 4: Breakout session
 
Day 2
Session 5: Bias
Session 6: Ethical Aspects of Model Robustness and Reliability
Session 7: Surveillance and Data Ownership
Session 8: Breakout session
 
Day 3
Session 9: Human Happiness, Friendship, Love and Choices with Respect to AI
Session 10: Open Discussion and Conclusions about the Ethics of AI

This course is appropriate for any individual interested in learning more about the ethics of AI development and deployment. Professionals who will particularly benefit from the curriculum include:

• Computer scientists and engineers who work with AI and want to better understand the technology’s key ethical issues—from data privacy to intrinsic bias
• Chief technology officers and business leaders who need to assess the individual and corporate responsibilities associated with the integration of AI across their enterprises
• Politicians and government officials seeking a deeper understanding of the impact of AI in areas that affect the public, such as cybercrimes, national security, and the spread of misinformation 
• Entrepreneurs who are considering the potential liabilities of investing in new AI initiatives and organizations 
• Journalists and other technology writers who need to access the latest AI thought leadership to help inform their work