The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (COMP90087)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5Dual-Delivery (Parkville)
From 2023 most subjects will be taught on campus only with flexible options limited to a select number of postgraduate programs and individual subjects.
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About this subject
Contact information
Semester 1
Simon Coghlan
Overview
| Availability | Semester 1 - Dual-Delivery |
|---|---|
| Fees | Look up fees |
This subject aims to provide students with the necessary tools to: identify social and ethical issues of digital technology particularly artificial intelligence and reason about these issues; communicate concerns, or discuss ideas, from differing points of view; and ultimately build technology with awareness of, and respect for, inclusion and the responsibility that comes with building powerful tools. Not contemplating ethical or social implications of AI and other technological tools may open up unintended consequences and risks. Ethical dilemmas can also cause additional personal stress for individuals who lack the skills to think about them reflectively. For these reasons, the growing societal and ethical problems raised by artificial intelligence and other technologies have become a major focus of many organisations, including for start-ups, government, defence, and many corporations.
Topics include:
- the history of artificial intelligence
- established ethical theories and concepts and their relation to artificial intelligence and technology
- fairness, equity, and discrimination in automated decision making
- accountability, explainability, and transparency of AI
- practical approaches and ethical frameworks for designing, developing and deploying technology responsibly
Intended learning outcomes
On completion of this subject, students should:
- Understand and describe the social and ethical issues raised by technology in various contexts
- Apply established ethical theories to reason about social and ethical issues related to technology
- Critically examine, analyse, and apply ethical perspectives to design, develop and deploy of digital technologies responsibly
- Communicate perspectives to other technical professionals and the community at large
- Demonstrate a profound respect for that fact that just because you can, does not mean you should create a technology
Generic skills
- Ability to analyse and interpretative complex information
- Ability to undertake problem identification, formulation, and solution
- High-level design skills, through proposing new uses of technology to support human activity
- Ability to communicate ideas in oral and verbal forms to different audiences
- Capacity for creativity and innovation ability to communicate effectively with both technical people and the community at large
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
One of
| Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| COMP10001 | Foundations of Computing |
Summer Term (Dual-Delivery - Parkville)
Semester 1 (Dual-Delivery - Parkville)
Semester 2 (Dual-Delivery - Parkville)
|
12.5 |
| COMP10002 | Foundations of Algorithms |
Semester 2 (Dual-Delivery - Parkville)
Semester 1 (Dual-Delivery - Parkville)
|
12.5 |
| COMP20003 | Algorithms and Data Structures | Semester 2 (Dual-Delivery - Parkville) |
12.5 |
| COMP20007 | Design of Algorithms | Semester 1 (Dual-Delivery - Parkville) |
12.5 |
| COMP90041 | Programming and Software Development |
Semester 1 (Dual-Delivery - Parkville)
Semester 2 (Dual-Delivery - Parkville)
|
12.5 |
| COMP90059 | Introduction to Programming |
Semester 2 (Dual-Delivery - Parkville)
Summer Term (Dual-Delivery - Parkville)
Semester 1 (Dual-Delivery - Parkville)
|
12.5 |
| ENGR30004 | Numerical Algorithms in Engineering |
Semester 1 (Dual-Delivery - Parkville)
Semester 2 (Dual-Delivery - Parkville)
|
12.5 |
OR
Equivalent introductory programming and algorithms experience
OR
Admission into or selection of one of the following:
- MC-CS Master of Computer Science
- MC-SCICMP Master of Science (Computer Science)
- MC-DATASC Master of Data Science
- MC-SOFTENG Master of Software Engineering
- Software specialisation (formal) in the MC-ENG Master of Engineering
- Software with Business specialisation (formal) in the MC-ENG Master of Engineering
- 100pt Program course entry point in the MC-IT Master of Information Technology
- 150pt Program course entry point in the MC-IT Master of Information Technology
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
| Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISYS90051 | Impact of Digitisation |
Semester 1 (Dual-Delivery - Parkville)
Semester 2 (Dual-Delivery - Parkville)
|
12.5 |
| ISYS90095 | Emerging Technologies in Organisations | Not available in 2022 |
12.5 |
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Assessment
| Description | Timing | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
Tutorial participation and contributions to online discussion. Two hours per week. Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO's) 1 to 4 are addressed by tutorial participation and contributions to online discussion. | Throughout the teaching period | 20% |
Critical evaluation essay. ILO's 1 to 5 are addressed in the essay.
| Week 7 | 30% |
Research essay. Due first week of examination period. ILO's 1 to 5 are addressed in the essay.
| During the examination period | 30% |
Online quiz. ILO's 1 and 2 are addressed in the online quiz.
| End of semester | 20% |
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Dates & times
- Semester 1
Principal coordinator Simon Coghlan Mode of delivery Dual-Delivery (Parkville) Contact hours 36 hours, comprising one 2-hour seminar and one 1-hour workshop per week Total time commitment 200 hours Teaching period 28 February 2022 to 29 May 2022 Last self-enrol date 11 March 2022 Census date 31 March 2022 Last date to withdraw without fail 6 May 2022 Assessment period ends 24 June 2022 Semester 1 contact information
Simon Coghlan
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Further information
- Texts
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Course Master of Computer Science Course Master of Data Science Course Master of Information Technology Course Master of Engineering Specialisation (formal) Software with Business Specialisation (formal) Computing Specialisation (formal) Distributed Computing Specialisation (formal) Software Specialisation (formal) Mechatronics Specialisation (formal) Cyber Security Specialisation (formal) Human-Computer Interaction - Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Please note Single Subject Studies via Community Access Program is not available to student visa holders or applicants
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
- Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
Last updated: 31 January 2024