Revised 8/2025

PHI 295 - Artificial Intelligence (AI) Ethics (3 CR.)

Course Description

This course explores the moral implications of artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies that emphasizes practical moral issues faced by information technology professionals, such as bias, privacy, accountability, transparency, and the social impact of automation. It will explore questions of governance and accountability, as well as the ethical implications of widespread use of these technologies. Students will engage with philosophical frameworks, case studies, and regulatory policies to critically examine ethical dilemmas, and through discussions, research, and hands-on projects, students will develop ethical reasoning skills and learn to apply ethical principles in AI systems' design, development, and governance. At the end of the course, students will be equipped to assess AI’s societal impacts and contribute to the development of responsible and ethical AI systems.

General Course Purpose

While the course may be of interest to a variety of students, it is specifically targeted to students who plan to go into professions related to machine learning and other emerging technologies.

Course Prerequisites/Corequisites

None.

Course Objectives

Upon completing the course, the student will be able to:

• Explain the major ethical theories (such as utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics, or the ethics of care and empathy) or other ethical concepts (such as autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, or rights) and apply them to AI-related case studies.
• Analyze real-world cases of AI bias and propose at least two mitigation strategies in a research paper.
• Assess the ethical implications of AI-driven surveillance, data collection, and privacy violations, and present findings in class discussions.
• Develop a position paper outlining the legal and ethical responsibilities of AI developers and organizations in relation to AI failures.
• Conduct a research project on AI’s effects on employment, decision-making, or human rights and present findings in a class presentation.
• Work in teams to propose an ethically responsible AI solution and present a design plan incorporating fairness, transparency, and accountability.
• Participate in weekly case study discussions and submit a critical reflection on at least three AI ethics cases.
• Draft an AI ethics policy for a fictional company or government agency, ensuring compliance with ethical principles and existing legal frameworks.
• Complete an ethics-based decision-making exercise, demonstrating the ability to justify AI-related ethical choices in a structured argument.
• Compare and contrast AI ethics regulations from at least three different countries.

Major Topics to Be Included

Course Major Topics	Specific Student Learning Outcomes
Moral Reasoning and Theory	Demonstrate the understanding of and be able to apply basic principles of ethical theory to real life examples. Such principles could include major normative ethical theories (such as utilitarianism, deontology, virtue theory, or the ethics of care and empathy) or other ethical concepts (such as autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, or rights).
Ethical Issues in Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Design	Analyze contemporary ethical issues in the design of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies (such as algorithmic bias, value alignment, trustworthiness, or governance and accountability). responsible data governance, responsibility in security applications and armed conflict, deepfakes and the ethics of generative algorithms, and the effects of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies on employment).
Ethical Issues in Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Deployment	Analyze contemporary ethical issues in the deployment of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies (such as responsible data governance, responsibility in security applications and armed conflict, deepfakes and the ethics of generative algorithms, and the effects of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies on employment).