KETU 2300 - Ethics and Governance of AI: UNESCO's path to establish the first global normative instrument

Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the central issues of the era of converging technologies with profound implications for our societies, having positive impacts as well as downside risks across all sectors. To address the challenges and ensure the benefits, UNESCO's 193 Member States mandated the Organization to elaborate the first-ever global normative instrument in this area – the Recommendation on the Ethics of AI – to guide the development of AI technologies, providing an overarching ethical framework and concrete mechanisms. The objective of the case study is to understand the impacts of these technologies, the tensions involved in the issues surrounding AI, and the ways they are and can be addressed multilaterally from ethical, legal, and policy perspectives. Participants would work on their analytical, critical thinking, negotiation, argument framing and presentations skills throughout the course. Disclaimer: The ideas and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the view of UNESCO.

Maksim KARLIUK

Séminaire

English

There is only one obligatory reading for the class, which is the Draft text of the Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. However, research and additional readings will be needed to prepare for class participation, and particularly for the essay and position paper. Between sessions, group work is also expected.

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Autumn 2021-2022

Topic-specific presentations (20%) Negotiation position paper & essay (30%) Negotiations for addressing substantive tensions (20%) Recommendations for policymakers (20%) Participation during the invited talks (10%)

Group work, simulations and discussions are at the core of the class. Guest lectures are expected from high level officials of UNESCO to share their specific experience and expertise relevant for the subject-matter. Students are thus expected to participate during each session, as well as being autonomous in their research and class-preparation even if some references are provided.