AI, Ethics, & Society:�Introduction

Fall 2024

Outline

1. Introduction
2. Overview of the Course
3. Logistics
4. Identity Journal #1

Outline

1. Introductions
2. Overview of the Course
3. Logistics
4. Identity Journal #1

About Me

1. Call me Sarah / she / her
2. I majored in Economics in undergrad
3. Professional experience: 10+ years working for or with state, local and federal agencies, mostly designing / building software to support city & regional planning projects
4. PhD from the School of Information at UC Berkeley
5. My research focus (within HCI) involves 3 areas:
1. Learning and education
2. Politics of data and computing
3. Civic tech and civic engagement

Origins of This Course & Kudos

Earlier versions of this course were co-designed at Northwestern University with my colleagues Dr. Sepehr Vakil (School of Education and Social Policy) and and Natalie Melo (Ph.D. Candidate, CS/LS program):

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The Tree Lab

Prior to coming to UNC Asheville, I was the co-director of the TREE Lab with Dr. Sepehr Vakil: https://tree.northwestern.edu/. Within the lab, we investigate ethical, social, and racialized dimensions of new technologies. This includes:

1. Designing, facilitating, and/or supporting initiatives that help people (e.g. community organizations) learn about computing technologies and their impacts (e.g., YPRPT, YW Tech Lab).
2. Creating avenues for showcasing student work that �examines the social and ethical dimensions of computing �and technology (e.g., BreakPoint Journal).

NSF Project: Ethical, Legal, & Societal Implications of Artificial Cerebellar Circuits

I am also part of a team – in collaboration with Northwestern University – to investigate the implications of some new brain-inspired AI hardware, to make the next generation of AI technologies (more on that later in the semester).

You will be a part of this work in helping the field think through some of the broader impacts of AI as their capabilities become more sophisticated.

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Outline

1. Introduction
2. Overview of the Course
3. Logistics
4. Identity Journal #1

Overview of the course

1. Why should I take this course?
2. What am I going to learn?
3. How am I going to learn it?

Why should I take this course?

Computation and AI shape how we interact with and understand our world, and are becoming increasingly integrated into our lives.

These technologies are also created by people, and therefore have particular sets of goals, values, assumptions, etc. built into them.

Therefore, it’s important that we examine the harms and benefits of these technologies, including:

• how and why they were created in the first place
• how and to what ends they are used
• their broader impacts

Why should I take this course?

This course will give you an opportunity to read about, explore, and discuss a range of ideas as they relate to technology and society.

It should (hopefully) also help you to think about your own experiences, beliefs, and goals, so that you can better reason about potential harms and benefits of computing.

Learning Goals

1. Recognize the impact of our own assumptions, biases, and experiences
2. Identify (and question) dominant/normative ways of thinking about computing and technology
3. Develop some analytic tools for thinking about the relationship between technology and society
4. Consider how to participate in a world that is increasingly �mediated by computation and AI

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Diversity Intensive Learning Goals

This is a Diversity Intensive Course, meaning that we think about AI with respect to particular circumstances, identities, subject positions, and institutional arrangements. As such, the DI goals are as to understand…

1. The socially constructed nature of identities.
2. The significance of individuals’ differing relationships to power.
3. How individuals, organizations, and institutions create, �perpetuate, or challenge inequality.
4. How multiple identities intersect.

What am I going to learn?

The course is divided into 4 units:

1. Psychological and Philosophical Concepts of Morality & Justice
2. Theories of Technology & Society
3. What is intelligence?
4. Societal & Environmental Impacts

See the course schedule for more information�

1. Morality, Ethics, & Human Values

In the (very brief) philosophy unit, we’re going to learn about some philosophical perspectives to help use analyze particular debates and situations.

The goal of this unit is for you to practice analyzing controversies and situations in terms of the core values in play, using some key philosophical approaches (e.g. welfare, freedom, and virtue).

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2. Theories of Technology & Society

In this unit, we will examine theories of technology, which will explore questions like:

Technology

• Is it possible to design a neutral technology?
• Are certain technologies inherently democratic / autocratic?
• Why are ideas about technology, innovation, and progress so appealing?
• How do technologies amplify / reify / disrupt existing ways �of doing things? What interests tend to benefit the most / least �from computing intensive innovations?

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2. Theories of Technology & Society

Society

• What shapes human activity (individually and collectively)?
• How do things like incentives, beliefs, categories and classification systems, culture, etc. influence us?
• How do societal priorities shape what gets made / not made? What we strive to understand / not understand? Fix / not fix?

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3. What is Intelligence?

Next, we’re going to explore both how humans and machines learn and perform various tasks. We’ll explore questions like:

• How do humans learn and reason? In what ways are humans and animals “hard wired” to think, act, and behave in particular ways? What makes humans different from other non-human animals?
• How computers learn? How do they “compute” things? How do data, networks, algorithms, and design choices shape what computers are capable of? Who is responsible for guiding how computers work?

4. Societal & Environmental Impacts

Finally, we will explore some special topic areas (I’ve proposed some, but we can decide together). Some potential topics:

• The Environment
• Business Models
• Fake News
• Labor
• Health
• Education
• The State

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How am I going to learn it?

1. Readings & videos
2. Readings & video reflections
3. Identity Journal entries
4. Attending and actively participating in class
5. Homework
6. Final project�

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1. Readings

The course readings, videos, and podcasts are intended to deepen and expand your understanding of the ethical, social, and political dimensions of computing technologies.

• We will be reading excerpts from several books (next slide).
• We will also read academic literature, news articles, policy briefs as noted in the course schedule.

Books

Books - ORDER THEM TODAY

Please order the Sandel and the Benjamin book today!

1. [First reading assigned next Tuesday] Sandel, M. (2010). Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do?. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
2. Benjamin, R. (2019). Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code. John Wiley & Sons.

2. Reading Reflections

You will also submit weekly reading responses – usually on Thursdays.

• Responses should be around 200-400 words in length (give or take)
• You will also you will respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts each week
• Your reading responses and responses to your peers are due every Thursday before class (1PM) unless otherwise indicated
• Your grade will be based on evidence that you did the readings.

3. Identity Journal Entries

In addition to the reading responses, you will also be keeping an “Identity Journal” (more on the logistics of this in a moment)

• Only visible to you and the course staff
• Intended for you to process the themes of the course in relation to your own experiences, aspirations, identities, and perspectives
• It will also serve as an artifact of your learning that will be useful to you beyond the class.

4. Class Attendance & Participation

• We will meet together every Tuesday and Thursday in person.
• We will use class time to collectively understand and discuss the readings and principles we are learning about.
• Your timely and engaged attendance at every class is thus very important – both for you and for your classmates.
• At some point this semester, you may be asked to help facilitate discussion around a particular topic or idea.

5. Homework & Labs

Homework and labs are an opportunity for you to practice thinking about an idea or technique that we’re learning about in class (in lieu of a bigger midterm project). Examples of homework assignments include

• Analyzing a technology or system according to a set of principles
• Examining the ethical arguments of a current debate about technology and society

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6. Final Project (This May Change)

1. Speculative Fiction�Imagine the state of the world in 2100. Using key texts from the class, you will describe in rich detail the socio-technical features of this world, and your analysis will describe the systems, policies, and decisions that got us there.

2. Design a Learning Resource a tech-related ethical concern�In groups of 2-3, you will design a resource that helps a particular audience of learners (e.g. a 7th grade social studies class, a network of human rights lawyers, a Congressional subcommittee, etc) learn about a tech-related ethical issue.�You will create a set of learning and teaching resources which might include �lesson plans, assessments, podcasts, interactive demos, etc).

Questions so far?

Outline

1. Introduction
2. Overview of the Course
3. Logistics
4. Identity Journal #1

Expectations

• You will come to class prepared and ready to engage in an intellectual discussion.
• You will complete all assignments on time and with interest, engagement, and intellectual curiosity.
• You will be an engaged contributor in the group discussions.
• You will bring your unique expertise, perspectives, and experiences to class and share them with others, so that we might all gain from your perspectives.
• All work that you submit will be your own original work.

Let’s Talk!

Break into groups of 3-4:

Introduce yourself (go around)!

• Name, pronouns, year, & major
• What brings you to the class?
• Something about you – fun fact, what you did this summer, favorite places in Asheville

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When you’re done, discuss:

• What would make you more likely to speak / engage�in discussions?
• What are some ways that the class can foster a �productive learning �space?

Fostering Collective Learning

We speak from our

own experiences

(“I” statements)

We listen and acknowledge each others’ presence

Opportunity for repair

We bring our

whole selves

Don’t talk over someone else

We are always learning and growing

We challenge the idea not the person

We are present and prepared

(as much as we can be)

Keeping the discussions within the class

Grading

Your course grade is calculated as follows (see syllabus for more info):

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Course Logistics

1. Reading Responses
1. Use Moodle “Discussions”
2. Due at 1PM on Thursdays (shoot for completing it by Wednesday night)
2. Identity Journal Submissions
• First write in Google Doc
• Then submit entry as a Moodle assignment
• Usually done in class on Tuesdays, but the submission window closes �at 11:59PM on the day it is assigned.

Course Logistics

3. Homework
1. Variable due dates – check the course schedule
4. Course Resources & Schedule
• Posted on the course Google Doc
5. Office Hours�MWF 3:30-4:30PM RRO 217
6. Late Work
• Within 48 hours: you will be penalized (~25%)
• After 48 hours, no work will be accepted

Attendance

You are allowed two absences during the semester, no questions asked. You should reserve these absences for emergency or illness. After two absences, your participation grade will be impacted.

General Grading Philosophy

If you’re doing the assignments, submitting them on time, attending and participating in lecture, and doing thoughtful, high-quality work, then you’re going to do great in this class.

Thoughts on Chat GPT

• Give credit to AI tools whenever used, even if only to generate ideas rather than usable text or code.
• When using AI tools on assignments, add an appendix that includes:
• A description of precisely which AI tools were used
• An explanation of how the AI tools were used (e.g. to generate ideas, understand technical / academic ideas, etc.)
• An account of why AI tools were used (e.g. to save time, to to stimulate thinking, to handle mounting stress, to experiment for fun, etc.).

Accommodations

Any student requesting accommodations related to a disability or other condition is required to register with AccessibleNU (847-467-5530) and provide professors with an accommodation notification from Office of Accessibility, preferably within the first two weeks of class.

All information will remain confidential.

Outline

1. Introduction
2. Overview of the Course
3. Logistics
4. Identity Journal #1

Identity Journal: Setup

1. Create google document and title in the following way: “LASTNAME_FIRSTINITIAL_IDENTITYJ”
• Example: VANWART_S_IDENTITYJ
2. Share it with Sarah:
• svanwart@unca.edu
3. Let’s do our first entry...

Identity Journal: Entry #1

• Why are you taking this class?
• Why do you think it’s important to study the societal and ethical impacts of AI?

Share with:

• svanwart@unca.edu

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Before Thursday Class...

1. Do the first reading and watch the Black Mirror Episode (pick one):
• Kazim, E., & Koshiyama, A. S. (2021). A high-level overview of AI ethics. Patterns, 2(9)
• Pick One:
• Joan is Awful. Black Mirror. Season 6, Episode 1.
• Nosedive. Black Mirror. Season 3, Episode 1.
2. Submit your first reading reflection to the Moodle (will post the prompts shortly)
3. Respond to 2 of your classmates’ reading reflections
4. Order the course books! We will start reading the Moral Philosophy book next Tuesday!