Patrice Koehl
Department of Computer Science
Genome Center
Room 4319, Genome Center, GBSF
451 East Health Sciences Drive
University of California
Davis, CA 95616
Phone: (530) 754 5121
koehl@cs.ucdavis.edu




Ethics for Technology: Fall 2024

Lectures


Notes:
  • I will provide a PDF version of the paper to be read and/or a link to a web version of the paper.

  • Do read carefully what is assigned for a given class... you won't be able to act surprised, as if you did not know.

  • If you come to class having done the reading, feeling ready and eager to talk about it, the class works well.

  • There will be three possible types of reports that I will ask for:

    • Analysis: If I ask you to turn in an analysis, I am asking for your own opinion about the text. You may decide to take one point that you either strongly agree with, or strongly disagree with, and discuss it. You may decide to give an opiniated overview of the whole text. It is your choice. However, I want you to be specific: no generalities, no unsupported opinions. Make sure to credit any ideas that is not yours.An analysis should be up to 1 page long.

    • Summary: If I ask you to turn in a summary, I am expected an unbiased account of what the paper says. Do not indicate whether you agree of disagree with what the authors say. Make sure to write in prose: bullet points for example are not OK. A summary should be 0.5 to 1 page long.

    • Quotes: If I ask you to turn in quotes from a reading, I'm asking for you to find two short and insightful quotes from the text. Give the page reference. You may redact for clarity or concision. After each quote, write a small paragraph to discuss what it means, in the context of the reading, to the author. You are allowed to provide an opinion. Come to class prepared to discuss the quotes you selected.


Date What we did What you needed to do Class notes Further reading/Comments
1: W 09/25 Why ethics and why ethics in technology? Nothing due on the first day of class. Lucky you ;-) A brief introduction to ethics / ECS089 Read on next entry what you need to do for Friday
The significance of ethics and ethics education in daily life
Watch an interesting video on (information) technologies Did you know (2025)!
2: F 9/27 (L) Lecture: Cost-benefit analyses Read Class notes on utilitarianism
3: F 09/27 (D) Technology and Happiness The ones who walk away from Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin (1973)
4: M 09/30 What money can't buy Read Class notes on utilitarianism (2)
5: W 10/02 Kant: deontology Read Class notes on Kant
6: F 10/04 Kant: Imperatives Read The first quiz of the quarter: Quiz1 and its answer key
7: F 10/04 Writing Center and smart drugs Nothing to prepare!
8: M 10/07 Kant: The right to lie? Re-read Class notes on Kant (2)
9: W 10/09 Aristotle and Virtue Ethics Read
10: F 10/11 (L) The cost/benefit of human life Read Pharmacogenomics and personalized medicine: wicked problems, ragged edges and ethical precipices (Fleck, 2012) Class notes on Fleck's paper Further readings:
11: F 10/11 (D) What money can't buy Discuss the cost of organ, the dollar value of emotions
12: M 10/14 Technology Read Views of technology. Ian Barbour (2021)

First report: Quotes. Find two short and insightful quotes from the text. Give the page reference. You may redact for clarity or concision. After each quote, write a small paragraph to discuss what it means, in the context of the reading, to the author. You are allowed to provide an opinion. Turn in on canvas. 		Class notes on Technology
13: W 10/16 Technology Read Do Machines Make History?. Martin Heilbroner (1967) The third quiz of the quarter: Quiz3 and its answer key Further readings:
14: F 10/18 (L) Technology traps Read the paper Technology traps: who is responsible?.
15: F 10/18 (D) Carter's malaise speech Examining Carter's 'Malaise Speech,' 30 Years Later. Summary of a NPR interview with author Kevin Mattson.
16: M 14/21 The internet and the brain Read the paper "Is Google making us stupid?" by Nicholas Carr (2008).

Second report: Quotes. Find two short and insightful quotes from the text. Give the page reference. You may redact for clarity or concision. After each quote, write a small paragraph to discuss what it means, in the context of the reading, to the author. You are allowed to provide an opinion. Turn in on canvas. 		Class notes on Carr's paper
17: W 10/23 Privacy and freedom Read the Wikipedia article on privacy: Privacy (or directly from the Wikipedia webpage: Privacy).
  • Aristotle's concepts of privacy, an article describing the concepts of privacy in Aristotle's philosophy.
  • Privacy and Information Technology, an article from the Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy, 2014.
  • The ACLU portal to its project on Privacy and Technology
    		•
    18: F 10/25 Privacy and surveillance capitalism Controversial PNAS paper on Facebook research and comments from the editor (PNAS, July 2014). Possible additional readings:
    19: F 10/25 (D) Discuss Aaron Swartz, copyright, activism, and suicide We will discuss Aaron Swartz, in particular we will watch: a conference keynote. Rest in peace,
    Aaaron Swartz
    20: M 10/28 Privacy and surveillance Read An article by the Guardian on Privacy under attack related to the Snowden case. (direct link to the Guardian) Class notes on Snowden
    21: W 10/30 Privacy and surveillance (2) Re-Read the article by the Guardian on Privacy under attack related to the Snowden case. (direct link to the Guardian) (Note: there might be a quiz...) The fifth quiz of the quarter: Quiz5 and its answer key
    22: F 11/01 Intellectual property Read the preface and Chapter 1: Why intellectual property? of "The public domain, James Boyle Notes on ethics / intellectual property
    23: F 11/01 (D) Should we allow patents on the human genome? None Possible readings:
    24: M 11/4 AI and education Read The use of Artificial Intelligence in education, EU report, 2020 class notes on AI and education Possible reading: Ten facts about AI in teaching and learning
    25: W 11/06 AI and education (2) Re-read The use of Artificial Intelligence in education, EU report, 2020 The sith quiz of the quarter: Quiz6 and its answer key Possible additional reading: Artifcial intelligence in education: Addressing ethical challenges in K-12 settings
    26: F 11/08 Data collection for AI: Consent for human experiments We will watch: Henrietta Lacks, the Tuskegee experiment, and ethical data collection, 2018. Class notes on data collection for AI Interesting readings / links:
    27: F 11/08 (D) Guest lecture
    28: W 11/13 AI and the alignment problem Reading: Artificial intelligence will do what we ask. That's a Problem Nathalie Wolchover, 2020 Possible readings:
    29: F 11/15 Immanuel Kant and AI Reading: Why Kant would not fear AI , William Egginton, 2023.

    Third report: in class Report 3: prompt     		Further readings:
    30: F 11/15 (D) Timnit Gebru We will watch: How To Stop Artificial Intelligence From Marginalizing Communities? , 2018. Class notes on Timnit Gebru Possible readings:
    31: M 11/18 Stuart Russell Reading: Risk, Alignment, & Guarding Against Doomsday Scenarios Russell, 2023 Class notes on Stuart Russell
    32: W 11/20 Fairness in AI Read the ACLU article on biases in hiring: Why Amazon's Automated Hiring Tool Discriminated Against Women (or directly from the ACLU webpage: Why Amazon's Automated Hiring Tool Discriminated Against Women) Possible readings:
    33: F 11/22 The diversity dilemma Read the article Increasing girls' interest in computer science and engineering by diversifying stereotypes, Charyan et al, Frontiers in Psychology (2015). Class notes on gender bias in Computer Science Interesting readings / links:
    34: F 11/22 (D) Social media and deep fakes We will watch: A toxic influence from Dove, UK, and A toxic influence from Greenpeace, UK.
    35: M 11/25 Environmental ethics Read Is it morally wrong to kill a whale? by H. Pichl (1997). Class notes on environment ethics and animal testing Further reading: Duties Regarding Nature: A Kantian Approach to Environmental Ethics
    36: W 11/27 Ethics and empathy Read The Drowning Child and the Expanding Circle by P. Singer (2017). Class notes on Empathy and Compassion
    37: M 12/02 Forever chemicals: Teflon Read The Devil they Knew: Chemical Documents Analysis of Industry Influence on PFAS Science Class notes on forever chemicals
    38: W 12/04 Climate change Read Ethics and climate change: an introduction by S. Gardiner (2010). Class notes on Climate change
    39: F 12/06 Final thoughts Watch 3 ethical catastrophes you can help stop, right now by Peter Singer. Final Thoughts




      Page last modified 29 November 2024 http://www.cs.ucdavis.edu/~koehl/