Radical Ideas AI Ethics from edX

Learn About AI and Digital Rights

This course looks at how AI affects people's rights and freedoms in today's digital world. We'll study past human rights movements to better understand current digital rights issues.

What You'll Learn:- Your digital privacy rights and how to protect them- How tech companies try to influence people's views- How data collection affects society and the economy- How to think carefully about new technology- Ways to make AI work better for everyone- Practical steps to protect digital rights

Who Should Take This:- People working in tech- People making or influencing rules and laws- Anyone who cares about digital rights and AI ethics

The course focuses on real solutions and clear ways to understand complex tech issues. We look at both problems and fixes, helping you make sense of how technology affects our lives.

What's inside

Learning objective

How technology shapes society:- see how digital rights connect to past civil rights movements - spot manipulation in tech messaging and marketing- understand how data collection affects daily life- question claims about technology carefully- know your privacy choices and rights- put human needs first in ai development- create ways to judge if tech is ethical- notice tricks used in app and website design- protect shared digital resources- check if business models help or harm people

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Explores the impact of AI on digital rights and freedoms, which is increasingly relevant in today's technology-driven society

Examines real-world solutions and practical steps for understanding and addressing complex tech issues, which is valuable for professionals

Draws parallels between digital rights and past civil rights movements, which provides a broader historical context for understanding current issues

Teaches learners to critically evaluate claims about technology, which is a crucial skill in navigating the digital age

Covers methods to identify manipulative techniques in app and website design, which empowers users to make informed choices

Requires learners to understand how data collection affects society and the economy, which is essential for responsible innovation and policy-making

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Radical Ideas AI Ethics with these activities:

Review Foundational Ethics Concepts

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Strengthen your understanding of core ethical principles to better analyze AI ethics dilemmas.

Browse courses on Ethical Frameworks

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Read summaries of major ethical theories.
Consider real-world examples for each theory.
Reflect on your own ethical values.

Review 'Weapons of Math Destruction'

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Understand how algorithms can perpetuate bias and inequality, a key theme in AI ethics.

View Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data... on Amazon

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Read the book, taking notes on key examples.
Reflect on how these examples relate to AI systems.
Discuss the book's arguments with others.

Write a Blog Post on Digital Privacy

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Solidify your understanding of digital privacy rights by explaining them to a broader audience.

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Research current digital privacy issues.
Outline the key points you want to cover.
Write a clear and engaging blog post.
Share your post on social media.

Four other activities

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Create a Presentation on AI Bias Mitigation Techniques

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Synthesize your knowledge of AI bias and present practical solutions for mitigating it.

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Research different AI bias mitigation techniques.
Choose the most effective and practical techniques.
Create a visually appealing and informative presentation.
Practice your presentation and solicit feedback.

Design an Ethical AI Evaluation Framework

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Apply your knowledge to create a practical tool for assessing the ethical implications of AI systems.

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Identify key ethical principles for AI.
Develop metrics to measure adherence to these principles.
Create a user-friendly evaluation template.
Test your framework on a real-world AI application.

Review 'The Age of Surveillance Capitalism'

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Gain a deeper understanding of the economic and social implications of data collection and surveillance.

View The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight... on Amazon

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Read the book, focusing on the concept of surveillance capitalism.
Consider how AI systems contribute to this phenomenon.
Discuss the book's arguments with others.

Volunteer with a Digital Rights Organization

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Gain practical experience in advocating for digital rights and learn from experts in the field.

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Research digital rights organizations in your area.
Contact an organization and inquire about volunteer opportunities.
Contribute your skills and time to support their mission.

Career center

Learners who complete Radical Ideas AI Ethics will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Digital Rights Advocate

A digital rights advocate champions the rights and freedoms of individuals in the digital realm, promoting policies and practices that uphold these rights. The 'Radical Ideas AI Ethics' course directly aligns with the advocate's mission, as it provides an understanding of digital privacy rights and how to protect them. This course is especially relevant because it explores how data collection affects society and the economy, thus enabling advocates to argue against practices that infringe on digital rights. Specifically, learning how to identify manipulation in technology, as taught in the course, helps an advocate fight actions that violate digital rights. The course emphasis on generating practical methods to protect digital rights is essential.

See salaries and explore the career path for Digital Rights Advocate

Policy Analyst

A policy analyst researches and develops policies related to technology and digital rights; given the course's focus on digital rights and their connection to past civil rights movements, this course directly informs the work of a policy analyst. This course explores how technology shapes society, which is a critical consideration when drafting regulations. The 'Radical Ideas AI Ethics' course helps a policy analyst understand the societal and economic impacts of data collection. It will also help an analyst propose solutions that prioritize human needs in AI development, as well as offer ways to ensure ethical business practices in technology.

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Ethics Consultant

An ethics consultant advises organizations on ethical practices, particularly in relation to technology. This course will be useful for learning how to assess the ethical implications of new technologies, which is a core part of the ethics consultant role. The course’s emphasis on understanding digital rights and protecting them will give an ethics consultant the knowledge needed to advise companies on these complex issues. The ability to analyze manipulation in tech messaging, provided by this course, is essential for ensuring clear communication and user trust. The focus on real solutions in the 'Radical Ideas AI Ethics' course also helps ethics consultants develop practical recommendations.

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Public Interest Technologist

A public interest technologist is a professional who works at the intersection of technology and public good, ensuring that technological advancements benefit society. This course informs the technologist role by providing a framework for understanding the ethical implications of technology. The radical ideas taught in this course will be highly relevant, as they will directly relate to technology policy issues. Specifically, the ability to assess the effect of data collection on the economy and society equips a practitioner to advocate for responsible data practices. The course also gives a public interest technologist the tools needed to develop ethical guidelines that put human needs first.

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Technology Journalist

A technology journalist reports on technology trends, impacts, and ethical implications, and this course will increase journalists' abilities to understand digital rights. This course will help a journalist analyze how tech companies influence people's views. This aligns perfectly with a technology journalist’s goal of holding tech companies accountable. The 'Radical Ideas AI Ethics' course helps the journalist understand how data collection affects society and the economy, enabling more thorough and accurate reporting. This is a course for a tech journalist that wants to understand the impact of technology in a complex world.

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Lobbyist

A lobbyist advocates for specific policies, often representing a particular group or interest. This course will be beneficial for lobbyists working on technology and digital rights. The 'Radical Ideas AI Ethics' course helps understand the complexities of digital rights so that they can develop policy recommendations that are effective and ethical. The ability to analyze the impact of data collection on society and the economy, as well as understanding manipulation in tech messaging will be useful to a lobbyist. The course’s emphasis on creating ethical tech solutions will give lobbyists the resources needed to advocate for policies that are both practical and beneficial to society.

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Technology Educator

A technology educator teaches others about technology, its impacts, and how to use it responsibly; this course helps educators discuss the ethical implications of technology with students. The 'Radical Ideas AI Ethics' course provides the knowledge to teach about digital privacy rights and tech's influence, specifically how data collection affects society. A technology educator will also benefit from understanding how to critically assess new technology, as covered in this course, empowering them to teach digital literacy skills. The course’s focus on solutions ensures that educators can provide their students with practical steps for managing technology ethically and responsibly.

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Civil Rights Lawyer

A civil rights lawyer advocates for the legal rights of individuals, and this course helps connect digital rights with the past. The 'Radical Ideas AI Ethics' course enables a lawyer to understand how technology shapes society and its legal framework. The course covers how data collection affects society and the economy, which is relevant when building legal cases concerning data privacy violations. Further, the course provides an understanding of manipulation in tech messaging, a key area where a civil rights lawyer might need to litigate. Given this course's focus on digital rights, it may be useful to any lawyer.

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User Experience Researcher

A user experience researcher studies how users interact with technology and how those interactions impact them, and the 'Radical Ideas AI Ethics' course enhances these skills. This course will help the researcher identify manipulative tech messaging, a key factor in shaping user experience. The course's focus on privacy will also inform a researcher's work, as a concern for user privacy is crucial to ethical design. The course’s material on spotting design tricks in apps and websites will also help the user experience researcher advocate for more transparent and user-friendly solutions. Given the course's content, this course will help design systems that are not only user friendly, but also contribute to the public good.

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Nonprofit Program Manager

A nonprofit program manager oversees the implementation of programs, and taking this course can lead to better program design in tech-related areas. This course will give them the tools to understand the societal impacts of digital rights and technology. The course teaches how to evaluate technology ethically and how to prioritize human needs in development, both essential in the management of nonprofit program. The course also addresses the manipulation of online messaging which gives the program manager a framework for assessing technology implementations.

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AI Product Manager

An AI product manager oversees the development and deployment of AI products, and this course will be useful for developing products that consider ethical implications. This course on AI ethics will help an AI product manager focus on how AI products impact rights, and how to make choices that benefit all people. The course is particularly useful because it provides strategies to critically evaluate new technologies, which is essential to ensuring responsible AI development. An AI product manager will also learn methods to protect data while ensuring human needs are prioritized.

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Data Analyst

A data analyst collects, processes, and interprets data, and knowledge from this course will aid in understanding the ethical implications associated with data handling. The 'Radical Ideas AI Ethics' course discusses how data collection affects society and the economy; thus, it helps the analyst understand the broader impact of their work. Knowing how to question claims about technology is also useful to ensure that data practices are ethical and not harmful. A data analyst will be well equipped to ensure data collection and analysis practices are both accurate and respect digital rights.

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Software Developer

A software developer designs and builds software applications, and attending this course may help to ensure ethical practices in software development. This course touches on how technology can shape society, and it provides a framework for understanding and addressing ethical issues, and it emphasizes that human needs be placed first in design. The course encourages developers to consider the ethical consequences of their products, including digital rights. By learning to identify manipulative elements in apps, a software developer can promote transparent designs that respect user autonomy.

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Political Campaign Strategist

A political campaign strategist plans and executes political campaigns, and this course will help the strategist understand how technology affects voters. The course will be useful because it discusses how tech companies may try to influence views, and this a crucial consideration for political campaign strategists, as it shapes voter perceptions. The strategists will also learn how to identify potential tech manipulation and its impact on elections. Given the course's information, it is a useful resource for any political campaign strategist who wants to reach voters effectively and ethically.

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Urban Planner

An urban planner develops plans for the growth and development of cities, and this class can help them assess how technology influences urban spaces. The 'Radical Ideas AI Ethics' course provides an understanding of digital rights and how technology can affect society, which will be valuable when planning for future technological changes in cities. The course will also be useful for an urban planner because it provides a framework to evaluate the ethical implications of technology, ensuring that digital resources are accessible to all people. Since, this course addresses the manipulation of technology, it will inform an urban planner about digital access and inclusion in their projects.

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Radical Ideas AI Ethics

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