CAE214 | AI Ethics Law and Policy

The objective of this course is to provide an overview of the key legal, policy, and ethical elements relevant to Artificial Intelligence (AI). The course will cover an introduction to AI, an overview and discussion of the salient ethical concerns relating to AI and Generative AI, along with a review of recent legal and regulatory debates surrounding the use of AI. The objective of the course is to provide students with a sense of the legal and ethical issues surrounding AI while specifics in certain areas (e.g. IP, liability, etc.). We will also discuss potential policy responses that could eventually influence legislative responses. The course will not require prior knowledge about technical elements of AI beyond an understanding of terms generally used in legal and policy discussions.

The course covers a wide range of areas on the thinking behind why and how to regulate technology, the role of ethics in this process, and some description of the current state of play across the globe. This knowledge will be built through readings to inform a framework to understand regulation, along with legal instruments and case law to characterise the legal issues at play, and supplementary aids of videos to cover some contemporary or technical topics.

The classes will be premised on doing the readings prior to the session, so that any difficulties and challenges faced in doing so can be addressed in the session, along with a discussion based on what the students are able to gather from the assigned materials. Demonstration of engagement with the readings will count towards the final grade in class participation. Certain weeks may also call for response papers. The modules have been divided to provide contained discussions of the topics so that students are able to get a grasp of the breadth of issues in the subject area and how in depth each topic can be dealt with.