Course description
Anyone who wants to understand the times we live in needs a basic understanding of artificial intelligence and the ethical challenges it poses. This is precisely what this course offers. If you are an entrepreneur, work for a company that uses digital technologies, have children who are exposed to digital technologies, or are an engaged citizen, this course will help you navigate the ethical dilemmas which presents the artificial intelligence.
We will begin by exploring what the ethics and how it is put into practice. We will review the concept of the "banality of evil". Hannah Arendt, with its implications for contemporary ethics, and we will establish a critical connection between ethics and law, arguing why legal regulation is not enough.
Moving into the sphere of artificial intelligencewe will go through its history and explore its unique characteristics that make it the subject of special attention in ethics. We will discuss the risks y opportunities that it presents, delimiting the fundamental principles that should guide their ethical use: beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, autonomy and explicability.
We will talk about privacy and surveillanceWhat is privacy and why does it matter? We will examine the power of data and how surveillance technologies can lead to societies of control, with relevant examples such as their widespread use in China.
One of the major problems with artificial intelligence is the bias and the discrimination. We will explore the possibility of achieving bias-free AI and confront the dilemma of automated versus human decisions. Who should take responsibility for wrong decisions made by AI? Is there a right for certain decisions to be made by humans?
Finally, we will analyse the relationship between the democracy and AI, assessing whether our rights to equality and autonomy are being respected in the digital age. We will try to bring a constructive approach, proposing possible solutions to the ethical challenges generated by the digital age and artificial intelligence.
Course structure
Academic Management
Carissa VélizCarissa is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the Institute for Ethics in AI, and a Fellow at Hertford College, University of Oxford. She has published articles in publications such as Wired, the Guardian, New Statesman and El País. Her academic work has been published in *The Harvard Business Review*, *Nature Electronics*, *Nature Energy* and *AI & Society*, amongst other journals. Professor Véliz is the recipient of the 2021 Herbert A. Simon Award for Outstanding Research in Computing and Philosophy. She advises policymakers around the world on privacy and AI. In Spain, she was a member of the Group of Experts tasked with advising on the drafting of the first Digital Rights Charter at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, as well as a member of the High-Level Advisory Panel on Technology and Global Order at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In the UK, she has appeared as a witness before the House of Lords Communications and Digital Select Committee on freedom of expression, online harms and public policy. In the US, she has advised Congress on a privacy bill and has given evidence to the Chamber of Commerce. She is the author of the highly acclaimed *Privacy Is Power* (named *The Economist*’s Book of the Year in 2020) and the editor of the forthcoming *Oxford Handbook of Digital Ethics*. She tweets at @carissaveliz.
Academic Coordination
Carlota Taboada
Director of Research Programmes, Virtual Campus and International Training Programmes at the Rafael del Pino Foundation.
Teaching Coordination
- David Mejía
He holds a degree in Philosophy from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and a degree in Literary Theory from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. He holds a PhD from Columbia University. Before completing his doctorate, he did a Master's degree at Columbia University thanks to an Excellence Scholarship from the Rafael del Pino Foundation. He is currently an associate professor at IE University, where he teaches Philosophy, Legal Thought and Critical Thinking to undergraduate and Master students. David is also a regular contributor to the general press and radio.
Other details
Includes digital book download "Privacy is Power: Data, Surveillance and Freedom in the Digital Age". by Carissa Véliz.
