This lecture provides an introduction to the emerging field of the Ethics of AI. It is open to all interested students of all levels, including those from the humanities, as well as scientific and technical disciplines.
+++ Notice that in the Winter Term 2022, this is a lecture with exercise groups (Vorlesung mit Übung): To earn 6 ECTS points, students will participate in the 2 SWS lecture and in a 2 SWS discussion group. Details on the assignment of discussion groups will be discussed in the first session. +++
The lecture is an ideal starting point to get an orientation in the field and to possibly start engaging with more specialized courses and/or research projects in the context of the Ethics of AI group at the IKW.
The lecture will provide an overview of problems, philosophical theories and methods that comprise the field of Ethics of AI. This includes both the philosophical foundations of ethics and critical theory as well as different technological phenomena and legal aspects of AI. A particular focus will be contemporary data-driven and machine learning-based AI technology and its applications in digital consumer media. As we will see, questions of social equality and fairness are central to today's ethical concerns about AI, so that ethics needs to adopt a societal perspective, analyzing constellations of power, discrimination and subordination that relate to AI technology. We will also touch on relevant legal debates such as privacy and data protection legislation.
The lecture is hybrid and will be available in three formats: On site in the lecture hall; live stream on BBB; and asynchronous participation via video recordings. Discussion groups will be either in person or online.
