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PHI 129 — AI and Ethics: A Practical Philosophy for Our Uncertain Technological Future

Quarter: Winter
Instructor(s): Forrest Hartman
Duration: 10 weeks
Location: On-campus
Date(s): Jan 15—Mar 19
Class Recording Available: No
Class Meeting Day: Wednesdays
 
Class Meeting Time: 7:00—8:50 pm (PT)
Tuition: $550
   
Refund Deadline: Jan 17
 
Unit(s): 2
   
Status: Registration opens Dec 2 8:30 am (PT)
 
Quarter: Winter
Day: Wednesdays
Duration: 10 weeks
Time: 7:00—8:50 pm (PT)
Date(s): Jan 15—Mar 19
Unit(s): 2
Location: On-campus
 
Tuition: $550
 
Refund Deadline: Jan 17
 
Instructor(s): Forrest Hartman
 
Recording Available: No
 
Status: Registration opens Dec 2 8:30 am (PT)
 
As AI moves from science fiction into everyday life, the ethical challenges it raises become urgent. Can we trust machines to make ethical decisions, and how do we ensure they align with human values? Could an ethical Turing Test, or measure of a machine's ability to exhibit human-like judgments or evaluations, provide the assurance we need? This course uses philosophy to tackle these and other pressing questions, focusing on the "alignment problem"—the challenge of embedding ethics in AI systems to prevent unintended harm. Through readings by thinkers like Nick Bostrom, Isaac Asimov, and Ludwig Wittgenstein, we’ll explore whether AI can truly exhibit ethical judgment and examine the limitations of rigid rules vs. flexible, empathy-driven frameworks. Students will discuss the implications of different approaches and whether, even if a method seems ideal, it can actually be put into practice. By the end of the course, students will have gained insights into the urgency of the problem of machine ethics as well as the ability to critically assess a wide variety of approaches to the problem.

FORREST HARTMAN
Senior Adjunct, Critical Studies Program, California College of the Arts

Forrest Hartman’s research interests are based in the history of ideas and cultural studies, especially the relationship between the sciences and society, with a focus on the impact of artificial intelligence and the rise of robots as a transformative force. He received a PhD in rhetoric/philosophy from UC Berkeley and a PhD in evolutionary biology from the University of Michigan.

Textbooks for this course:

(Required) S. Matthew Liao, Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (ISBN 978-0190905040)
(Required) Nick Bostrom , Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies (ISBN 978-0198739838)