Ethics of AI Certificate | Department of Philosophy

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 undergraduate students, or to qualified applicants. 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 while harnessing its benefits.

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, democracy, 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 undergraduate 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.

Certificate Requirements (9 credit hours)

PHIL 104: Intro to Ethics or 105: Introduction to Ethics (3 credit hours)
PHIL 442: The AI Revolution (3 credit hours)
PHIL 440: Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (3 credit hours)

PHIL 104: Intro to Ethics

Some basic questions of ethics, discussed in the light of influential ethical theories and with reference to specific moral problems, such as: What makes an action morally right? Are moral standards absolute or relative? What is relation between personal morality and social morality, and between social morality and law? Course is identical to PHIL 105 except for the additional writing component.

Credit is not given for both PHIL 104 and either PHIL 105 or PHIL 106.

Prerequisite: Completion of campus Composition I general education requirement.

This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for: Advanced Composition, Humanities - Hist & Phil

PHIL 105: Introduction to Ethics

Some basic questions of ethics, discussed in the light of influential ethical theories and with reference to specific moral problems, such as: what makes an action morally right? are moral standards absolute or relative? what is the relation between personal morality and social morality, and between social morality and law?

Credit is not given for both PHIL 105 and either PHIL 104 or PHIL 106.

This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for: Humanities - Hist & Phil

PHIL 442: The AI Revolution

We are in the midst of what many have called an “Artificial Intelligence (AI) Revolution.” This revolution is comparable in scope and impact to other major transformations in human history, such as the industrial revolution. The purpose of this course is to help students understand how and why recent developments in AI have begun to challenge traditional ways of thinking, while presenting novel and pressing ethical, social, interpretive, conceptual, technological, and existential questions.

3 undergraduate hours.

Prerequisite: At least one philosophy course.

PHIL 440: Ethics of Artificial Intelligence

Discussion of ethical, societal, and political issues related to Artificial Intelligence (AI). Topics include responsible uses of AI, the effect of AI on automation and the future of human work, ethical questions about AI (such as whether AI has moral standing, should be given rights, or should have moral or legal duties), and implications of AI for truth, trust, democracy, surveillance, privacy, safety and security, and the future of humanity.

3 undergraduate hours.

Prerequisite: Either one philosophy course or at least junior standing.