JST2665H: Ethics in Artificial Intel

Abstract

This course offers an introduction to the ethical issues inherent in the technologies spawned by big data and artificial intelligence. In particular it seeks to understand the Torah’s perspective on these timely and controversial questions. As these fields enter every area of human existence, the ethics surrounding them is becoming ever critical. The course – seeking to touch upon all the prominent technologies driven by big data and artificial intelligence – will divided into five parts. The first part will focus on ethics, what is it and why it is important. This will include an overview of various approaches to ethics in general and the ethics of technology in specific. Next, we will dive into the big issues in big data. The third part will then focus on the ethical dilemmas involved in the autonomous systems driven by these technologies. Following this we will delve into the ethical issues of robotics and then conclude with a look into the future to discuss the ethical issues surrounding “the singularity.”