Ethics of AI

Abstract:

This interdisciplinary course intends to provide a brief overview of the main ethical issues concerning AI from an interdisciplinary perspective. The starting point is the clarification of what an “ethics” is, so as to offer the reference coordinates of the discourse, which is then articulated in the analyzes by way of examples of specific issues in the different directions. In particular, issues relating to the impact that AI has and will increasingly have on social life are examined, especially concerning the problem of biases and of generative AI; the interconnections with medicine and health care; the methods of legal regulation, such as the AI Act of the EU.

Teachers:

Maurizio Mori, Consulta di Bioetica Onlus

Tiziana Catarci, DIAG, Università la Sapienza Roma

Giovanni Sartor, CIRSFID, Università di Bologna

Guido Boella, Dipartimento di Informatica, Università di Torino

Ioannis Pitas, Chair of the International AI Doctoral Academy (AIDA)

Intended Audience:

PhD students at various stages of their programs, as well as any interested scholars and members of the general public.

Programme:

4 hours: – Maurizio Mori: Two hours dedicated to outlining a theory of ethics capable of addressing moral analyses of human societies and larger communities. The remaining two hours apply these conceptual tools to analyze the potential interactions between AI and health care.

2 hours – Tiziana Catarci: Biases in AI

4 hours – Guido Boella: A comprehensive overview of the various ethical issues related to AI, with reflections on its societal and ethical impact.

4 hours – Giovanni Sartor: A session reflecting on the relationship between AI applications and human rights, discussing implications for data protection and consumer protection, and examining the EU’s AI Act.

1 hour – Guido Boella: Ethical aspects of LLMs (Large Language Models).

1 hour – Ioannis Pitas: AI, War and Geopolitics. This lecture explores AI’s impact on defense, warfare, and geopolitics. Global military spending surpassed $2 trillion in 2022, with AI driving the arms race. Lethal Autonomous Weapons (LAWs), like drones, raise ethical and security concerns, while AI-powered cyberwarfare poses severe risks. Geopolitically, the EU remains weak, and the U.S. faces decline, partly due to underestimating China’s AI rise. As global power shifts toward autocratic regimes, democratic nations must collaborate to defend democracy and secure technological leadership.

Schedule:

2  April 2025, Wed 11:00 – 13:00 CET Guido Boella

9  April 2025, Wed 14:00 – 16:00 CET Tiziana Catarci
16 April 2025, Wed 14:00 – 16:00 CET Giovanni Sartor
23 April 2025, Wed 14:00 – 16:00 CET Giovanni Sartor
30 April 2025, Wed 14:00 – 16:00 CET Maurizio Mori
7  May 2025, Wed 14:00 – 16:00 CET Maurizio Mori
14 May 2025, Wed 11:00 – 13:00 CET Guido Boella
14 May 2025, Wed 12:00 – 13:00 CET Ioannis Pitas
21 May 2025, Wed 11:00 – 13:00 CET Guido Boella

Registration:

To register for the course students please fill out this brief form.

Course costs:

For AIDA students: free.
For students enrolled outside Italy: free.
For students in Italy who require a certificate of attendance and/or exam: free for those who subscribe to Italian Society for Ethics of AI SIpEIA.

Free for non PhD students.

Subscriptions to SIpEIA are welcome in all cases to support our activities.

Modality:

This online course is conducted entirely in English. Each session will be broadcast live, recorded, and subsequently published on SIpEIA’s video channel. Registered users will receive connection links, which will also be available on the SIpEIA course website. Please note that live attendance is mandatory for those wishing to take the exam—simply watching the recordings will not suffice.

Exam modality (for those who wishing to take the exam):

Submit an article (approximately 5000 characters) in either English or Italian on a topic addressing the ethical aspects or societal impact of AI, drawing on your research experience. Your piece should be accessible to a broad audience—including those without a technical background—and should engage readers with thoughtful insights and clear language. Best submissions will be featured in our Magazine Intelligenza Artificiale magia.news.

Prerequisites:

No prior technical or philosophical knowledge is required to attend the course.

Credits and Hours:

16 hours of online lectures are offered, with the possibility to earn 1.5 credits (subject to the rules of each PhD programme).

Introductory

16

Short Course

1.5

For AIDA students: free. For students enrolled outside Italy: free. For students in Italy who require a certificate of attendance and/or exam: free for those who subscribe to Italian Society for Ethics of AI SIpEIA. Free for non PhD students. Subscriptions to SIpEIA are welcome in all cases to support our activities. “If you are an AIDA Student* already, please a) register on the course site https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScJAn0CKu1Zrtc7s98oOqTeO1ZJE31v8g5j4FitD_ed_4bpRA/viewform?usp=sharing AND b) also enroll in the same course in the AIDA system in order for this course to be included on your AIDA Course Attendance Certificate. If you are not an AIDA Student, follow only the instructions in step (a). *AIDA Students should have been registered in the AIDA system already (they are PhD students or PostDocs that belong only to the AIDA Members list).

2  April 2025, Wed 11:00 – 13:00 CET Guido Boella 9  April 2025, Wed 14:00 – 16:00 CET Tiziana Catarci 16 April 2025, Wed 14:00 – 16:00 CET Giovanni Sartor 23 April 2025, Wed 14:00 – 16:00 CET Giovanni Sartor 30 April 2025, Wed 14:00 – 16:00 CET Maurizio Mori 7  May 2025, Wed 14:00 – 16:00 CET Maurizio Mori 14 May 2025, Wed 11:00 – 13:00 CET Guido Boella 21 May 2025, Wed 11:00 – 13:00 CET Guido Boella

English

Online

https://sipeia.it/?page_id=402