Creators of the National AI Course launch new course on AI and Ethics

AI affects everyone

"AI is too important to be left entirely to governments and large organisations," Jim asserts. "It's integral to all sorts of crucial areas of life and affects everyone. Employers use AI for recruitment and selection, for example. And many financial service providers make use of it in mortgage approval decision-making. The sustainability, efficiency and accuracy of all sorts of business processes depend on AI as well. However, because it's intangible, AI isn't an easy thing to get people talking about. In order to develop an informed opinion, you need to know what benefits, opportunities and challenges AI applications bring. That kind of knowledge is vital for keeping the internet secure, fair and inclusive."

"In 2017, we set up the National AI Course. Since then, more than thirty thousand people have done the course, giving rise to various new questions about the ethics of AI. People doing the course have been asking things like, how can we be sure that companies and governments are using AI responsibly? For answers, I turned to professors and other experts working in the field. And that led to us developing a new course together, on AI and Ethics. It's a standalone course, but also a natural follow-up to the National AI Course."

AI and Ethics course

"Although ethics is a somewhat abstract field, it's very relevant to everyday life. What if a friend asks to use your Netflix password? Strictly speaking, you're not allowed to share your account. But lots of people do it anyway. The course is divided into ten sections exploring ethical dilemmas of that kind, where AI plays a role. Participants are asked things like, if you applied for a job, how would you feel about a robot assessing your CV? Experts in the field then go over each dilemma, explaining the relevant considerations in accessible language. For example, Quirine Eijkman from the College for Human Rights sets out the risks associated with recruitment and selection algorithms. And Professor José van Dijck takes a critical look at our dependency on platforms such as Facebook. Course participants are provided with information, but left to draw their own conclusions. In that respect, the new course is like a philosophy course. It raises as many questions as it answers."

Figure 1: Screenshot of the AI and Ethics course homepage.

"You can do the course for free on your smartphone, laptop or desktop," explains Jim. "At the end of the first section, you're asked to log in using your e-mail address. Then you can pause the course any time you want, and later resume where you left off. Once you've finished, we mail you an AI and Ethics course diploma to show that you've done the course. My ultimate goal is that everyone who has done the course should be able to form an informed opinion about the ethical dilemmas associated with AI. I want people to be aware of the benefits and challenges that AI brings, and be able to discuss them with other people."

Support from SIDN Fund

"SIDN Fund's support enabled us to develop a good quality course. We hired a professional recording studio to do the videos where the experts talk about the issues. We also had illustrations and graphics done to help get information across in an accessible form. As well as providing financial support, the Fund put us in contact with various AI experts," adds Jim. "Their knowledge, experience and ability to contribute practical examples were really valuable to us during the development phase."

Mieke van Heesewijk

Programmamanager SIDN fonds

+31 26 352 55 21

mieke.vanheesewijk@sidnfonds.nl

Mieke van Heesewijk, Programme Manager at SIDN Fund, explains why the Fund was pleased to back the initiative. "By providing an e-learning module on AI and Ethics, the National AI Course is involving the public in debate about responsible AI. The aim is to show how things can go wrong, and how we can use AI responsibly. So that the public is more aware, and the business community and authorities are inspired. That aim dovetails perfectly with SIDN Fund's vision of a strong, secure and fair internet."

Putting internet users in control

"In the period ahead, we'll be focusing on the rollout of the AI and Ethics course. One aspect of that will be contacting journalists who write on related themes, and encouraging them to mention relevant elements of our course in their work. We'll also be mailing everyone who has done the National AI Course to tell them about the new course. In the longer term, we intend to keep reviewing the examples and explanations given in the course, and update them whenever necessary. Additional examples will also be added to reflect developments. Our course is intended to promote awareness of the ethical issues associated with AI. And to help internet users stay in control of situations that involve AI. So that together we manage the way AI is incorporated into our lives, now and in the future."

Want to do the AI and Ethics course right away? Visit https://ethiek.ai-cursus.nl/ or mail info@ai-cursus.nl for more information.