ENGRG 3605

Ethics of Computing and Artificial Intelligence Technologies

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2025-2026 Catalog.

Computing is ubiquitous in modern life, and essential to professional work in engineering and many other disciplines. However, computing technologies, especially artificial intelligence, raise distinctive normative issues. This course surveys a variety of social, ethical, and political issues that arise in connection with computing technologies, including artificial intelligence, from a philosophical perspective. Specific topics may include: hacking, privacy, intellectual property, forms of deception and manipulation enabled by computing technologies, social injustices that are reinforced by algorithmic systems, machine ethics, and science fiction issues such as robot rights or existential risks posed by superintelligent computer systems. Content delivery will be through a mix of lectures, readings, and in-class discussion.

Enrollment Priority REF-FA25 Enrollment limited to: sophomores, juniors, and seniors.

Last 4 terms offered (None)

Outcomes REF-FA25

• Students will be able to identify and describe a variety of social, ethical, and political issues that arise distinctively from the use and development of computing technologies.
• Students will be able to use normative theories from the humanities and social sciences to make sense of ethical issues in computing.
• Students will be able to reason about, critique, defend, and develop specific opinions on social, ethical, and political issues that arise in connection to computing technologies.
• Students will have improved their written and oral communication skills and academic research skills.

View Enrollment Information