Ethics of AI
Online short course
Investigate the ethical challenges and opportunities presented by AI and gain the analytical tools to manage its diverse impacts on business and society.
3 weeks
6–8 hours of self-paced learning per week, entirely online.
Email: lseonline@getsmarter.com
Call: +44 2038 568 850
ABOUT THIS COURSE
The opportunities artificial intelligence (AI) presents are transforming the way we work. Yet, as AI adoption becomes more commonplace, so do questions surrounding the ethics of its application. Those hoping to harness the potential benefits of AI must first develop a holistic understanding of its effects on states, business, and society.
The Ethics of AI three-week online course from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) examines the ethical implications of AI technologies. Throughout this course, you’ll gain the tools to apply moral concepts – such as democracy, equality, fairness, and transparency – to real-world situations to better understand and resolve ethical dilemmas presented by AI. Through a condensed learning format, you'll investigate how AI can be used in a variety of business contexts, and learn how this can exacerbate or combat discrimination and power imbalances in the workplace.
HOW IS THIS COURSE DIFFERENT?
This three-week master class experience is tailored for working professionals looking to rapidly obtain industry-relevant knowledge and skills of a specialised subject. Through the insights of world-class faculty, these courses quickly broaden your understanding of a specific area of focus while examining its wider societal context. The immersive online learning model and bite-sized modules allow you to study effectively at your own pace.
A POWERFUL COLLABORATION
The London School of Economics and Political Science is collaborating with online education provider GetSmarter to create a new class of learning experience – one that is high-touch, intimate, and personalised for the working professional.
ABOUT LSE
The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is a leading dedicated social science university. LSE was founded in 1895 with the aim of understanding the causes of things for the “betterment of society”. LSE seeks to make research and teaching practical and relevant to the real world. The School counts 18 Nobel Prize winners and 37 world leaders amongst its alumni and staff. LSE has students from over 160 countries, and over 100 languages are spoken on campus.
ABOUT LSE ONLINE CERTIFICATES
LSE is dedicated to addressing global issues through research and education, and is the most international of all British universities. By offering online certificate courses designed by expert LSE faculty members, the School aims to make its state-of-the-art social sciences research and insights available to a wider global audience. The supported, interactive online learning model allows participants to study from anywhere in the world, at times of their convenience, while still interacting with peers and teaching staff alike.
ABOUT GETSMARTER
GetSmarter, part of edX, partners with the world’s leading universities and institutions to select, design and deliver premium online short courses with a data-driven focus on learning gain.
Technology meets academic rigour in GetSmarter’s people-mediated model, which enables lifelong learners across the globe to obtain industry-relevant skills that are certified by the world’s most reputable academic institutions.
As a participant, you will also gain unlimited access to edX’s Career Engagement Network at no extra cost. This platform will provide you with valuable career resources and events to support your professional journey. You can look forward to benefits including rich content, career templates, webinars, workshops, career fairs, networking events, panel discussions, and exclusive recruitment opportunities to connect you with potential employers.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
Please note that module titles and their contents are subject to change during course development.
Explore the foundations of democratic theory and theories of administrative power, and learn how to diagnose challenges and opportunities posed by AI using those foundations.
- Review and contrast two justifications for democracy in terms of their value and validity
- Articulate the challenges that misinformation and targeting pose to politics
- Determine how AI can create opportunities to improve politics
- Understand the concepts of legitimacy and transparency
- Investigate why AI raises issues of legitimacy and transparency
Investigate how AI can create inequalities of resources, opportunity, and power in the business world, and how it can perpetuate historic injustice.
- Outline important conceptions of justice and fairness in contemporary ethics
- Discuss the ways in which technological change can impact the distribution of resources and productivity gains
- Determine the policies required to ensure that the development of AI contributes to an inclusive economy
- Investigate how algorithmic bias perpetuates issues of unequal opportunities and discrimination in hiring
- Explore how machine learning raises a risk of discrimination, and possible solutions to address those risks
- Evaluate the acceptability of workplace surveillance through the lens of the value of privacy
- Use explicit ethical principles to build an argument and defend it against objections
Understand conceptions of global governance, corporate social responsibility, decision-making under risk, and market failures to investigate issues of global justice raised by AI.
- Outline issues of value alignment in AI and their role in guiding solutions for value-sensitive design of technology
- Illustrate the conflicting moral responsibilities and obligations of firms and government in the global governance of AI
- Investigate the issues that arise from content moderation
- Analyse how businesses developing and using AI systems can exploit market failures, and the difficulties of addressing these failures at the global level
- Investigate how we can promote more ethical AI in business
- Explore different decision rules that can help us balance the risks and benefits of AI
- Understand different global approaches to regulation, and power imbalances between national governments and other stakeholders
WHO SHOULD TAKE THIS COURSE
The highly topical nature of this course ensures it’s applicable to any professionals within the public sector, private sector, and civil society who may be affected by the ethics of AI, data, and general technological advancement. Leaders working within an organisation that leverages – or is hoping to leverage – AI will gain the tools to oversee responsible innovation and manage the social impact of potential technological changes. Those working within the tech industry will gain the skills to further their career development and personal growth with an in-depth understanding of ethics and AI. This LSE master class is relevant to anyone who wants to understand the impact that AI has on both individuals and society.
THIS COURSE IS FOR YOU IF YOU WANT TO:
GROW YOUR UNDERSTANDING
Examine the theoretical foundations of democracy and administrations to identify the challenges and opportunities AI presents.
APPLY YOUR KNOWLEDGE
Learn how to evaluate the resource, opportunity, and power inequalities in the workplace that result from AI implementation.
EMPLOY AI RESPONSIBLY
Understand the expectations governments and multinational corporations need to abide by when designing and deploying AI.
GAIN CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS
Debate the key ethical issues of AI while engaging online with peers and facilitators.
YOUR SKILLS RECOGNISED
Validate your skills online with an official digital certificate of competence as well as a digital badge from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Your digital badge will be issued to you through Accredible upon completion of the course. You’ll be able to share your certificate and your badge on LinkedIn and other networking sites.
WHO YOU’LL LEARN FROM
This subject matter expert from LSE guides the course design and appears in a number of course videos, along with a variety of industry professionals.
YOUR COURSE CONVENOR
Dr Kate Vredenburgh
Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method, LSE
As an expert in social science, political philosophy, and the philosophy of technology, Kate has a particular interest in topics that intersect with ethics, epistemology, and metaphysics. After completing her PhD in philosophy at Harvard University, Kate became a postdoctoral fellow at both the McCoy Family Center for Ethics in Society, and the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence. Much of her research and teaching interacts with other disciplines, such as economics and computer science.
HOW YOU’LL LEARN
This online course is broken up into manageable units designed to accelerate your learning process through diverse activities:
- Work through your downloadable and online instructional material
- Interact with your peers and learning facilitators through discussion forums
- Enjoy a wide range of interactive content including videos, podcasts, quizzes, and more
- Develop an essential skill set to apply immediately in your context and career
Apply what you learn throughout this master class experience and broaden your understanding of ethics in AI with targeted, expert-led insights.
YOUR SUCCESS TEAM
GetSmarter, with whom LSE is collaborating to deliver this online course, provides a personalised approach to online education that ensures you’re supported throughout your learning journey.
HEAD TUTOR
A subject expert who’ll guide you through content-related challenges.
SUCCESS ADVISOR
Your one-on-one support available during University hours (8am–5pm GMT) to resolve technical and administrative challenges.
GLOBAL SUCCESS TEAM
Available 24/7 to solve your tech-related and administrative queries and concerns.
TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
BASIC REQUIREMENTS
In order to complete this course, you’ll need a current email account and access to a computer and the internet, as well as a PDF Reader. You may need to view Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, and read and create documents in Microsoft Word or Excel.
BROWSER REQUIREMENTS
We recommend that you use Google Chrome as your internet browser when accessing the Online Campus. Although this is not a requirement, we have found that this browser performs best for ease of access to course material. This browser can be downloaded here.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
Certain courses may require additional software and resources. These additional software and resource requirements will be communicated to you upon registration and/or at the beginning of the course. Please note that Google, Vimeo, and YouTube may be used in our course delivery, and if these services are blocked in your jurisdiction, you may have difficulty in accessing course content. Please check with an Enrolment Advisor before registering for this course if you have any concerns about this affecting your experience with the Online Campus.
