The Department of Philosophy is now offering an Ethics of AI program that can be taken fully online. A credit-bearing certificate in the Ethics of AI can be earned by completing three credit-bearing courses, available to currently enrolled students, or to qualified applicants. A non-credit version of the certificate is also available to the general public through self-paced online non-credit courses on Coursera and Canvas Catalog. These certificates are also available as digital credentials that can be included in LinkedIn and other social media profiles. 

Employers are actively seeking employees who have experience grappling with the risks and ethical questions of artificial intelligence. The Ethics of AI Certificate will teach students the core skills and knowledge they need to understand how to mitigate the risks of artificial intelligence.  

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a groundbreaking technology, which has begun to affect numerous industries—public, private, and educational. Preventing risks to privacy, security, equity, truth, trust, civil rights, and civil liberties while harnessing the benefits of AI has become a top priority for governments and private tech companies. Understanding the social dimensions of these risks requires fundamental knowledge about ethics, the nature of the mind and intelligence, and social policy.  

Credit-Bearing Certificate in the Ethics of AI 

The credit-bearing certificate in the Ethics of AI is available to any currently enrolled degree-seeking students. This certificate is also available to qualified applicants upon admission as non-degree students in this certificate program. Completion of the certificate program’s credit-bearing courses will result in an Accredible digital credential. While the certificate itself will not appear on the student’s transcript, the courses will and can be counted toward a subsequent degree.  

Courses may be taken through Canvas@Illinois or in-person classes on campus. These courses are the same courses taken by philosophy majors and other students at the University of Illinois. These courses will result in graded credit that will appear on a student’s transcript.  

Non-Credit Certificate in the Ethics of AI 

A non-credit certificate in the Ethics of AI is also available to members of the general public and does not require application to the University of Illinois. The non-credit certificate requires completion of three non-credit versions of the courses. These non-credit courses are self-paced online versions that contain the same lectures and classroom assignments as the for-credit versions, but do not include the staff-graded exams or projects used to confer university credit. The non-credit certificate in the Ethics of AI may be taken through Canvas@Illinois (leading to an Accredible digital credential), or Coursera (leading to a Credly digital credential). More information about certificates is available on the Office of Professional Education’s website.