AI & Data Ethics (PG)

This course will give students a strong foundation in key ethical issues that are emerging in data science and artificial intelligence (AI).

Students will gain a critical understanding of how these technologies present ethical questions which require a deep understanding both of the detailed context of application, and of pertinent philosophical questions.

This encompasses not simply practical ethics as generally conceived but requires consideration of other areas of philosophy such as metaethics, philosophy of mind, and epistemology. Methodological questions concerning the application of ethical theory to practice will also be discussed. As well as developing an appreciation the background philosophical debates, students will also be introduced to the history of work on the ethics of AI, and the considerable current work in policy and regulation for this area.

Students will develop skills in the application of abstract philosophical and ethical concepts to practical uses, including the analysis of cases and the production of relevant policy for AI and data ethics.

They will gain an appreciation of how engagement in ethical debates can contribute to the beneficial development of such technologies