Introduction to the Ethics of AI 2025
Lecture, University of Osnabrück, Summer Term 2025, Prof. Dr. Rainer Mühlhoff
Navigation: This is the currently ongoing version of this lecture, starting 15 April 2025.
Archive of past versions: [Summer Term 2024], [Winter Term 2022/23], [Winter Term 2021/22].
Recordings
Recordings are available on-site (with a nice index to jump between chapters) and on our YouTube channel. YouTube uploads might be 1–2 days delayed.
General information
Access / Zoom link
The lecture can be accessed in three formats:
- On site: Tuesdays 14:15–15:45 CEST, starting 15 April 2025, room: see Stud.IP (for university members only).
- Live stream in Zoom: Tuesdays 14:15–15:45 CEST [Zoom-Link]
- Asynchronous participation via video recordings published on this website. I will make the recordings available by Wednesday evenings.
The lecture is public. Everybody can participate, although some additional functionality such as access to PDFs (slides, weekly discussion group readings) through Stud.IP, as well as participation in the weekly discussion groups, are exclusive to registered students.
Course description
This philosophical lecture provides an introduction to the emerging field of the Ethics and Critical Theories of AI. It is open to all interested students of all levels, including those from the humanities, as well as scientific and technical disciplines.
The lecture is an ideal starting point to get an orientation in the field and to possibly start engaging with more specialized courses and/or research projects in the context of the Ethics and Critical Theories of AI group at the Institute for Cognitive Science.
The lecture will provide an overview of relevant problems, philosophical theories and critical methods. This includes both the philosophical foundations of ethics, critical theory and some aspects of social philosophy (such as power and social structures) as well as different technological phenomena and legal aspects of AI. A particular focus will be contemporary data-driven and machine learning-based AI technology and its applications in digital consumer media. As we will see, questions of social equality and fairness are central to today’s ethical concerns about AI, so that ethics needs to adopt a societal perspective, analyzing constellations of power, subjectivation, discrimination and subordination that relate to AI technology. Ethics will be framed in relation to intersectional critical philosophy, feminist and post-colonial theories. We will also touch upon relevant legal debates such as privacy and data protection legislation and AI regulation.
Programme
This is a preliminary program – please visit this site regularly for updates.
| Session | Date | Lecture Topic | Backroud Readings (Discussion Groups) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15.04. | Introduction / Human-Aided AI; Orga | Videos: 1) “Human Computation”, Google Tech Talk by Luis von Ahn, 2006. YouTube 2) “Artificial Intelligence is the New Electricity”, Stanford Talk by Andrew Ng, 2017. YouTube Coeckelbergh, Mark. 2020. AI Ethics. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. Chapters 1–2. |
| 2 | 22.04. | Ethics 101 | Dignum, Reponsible AI, Chapter 3. |
| 3 | 29.04. | Power I | Sattarov, Faridun. 2019. Power and Technology: A Philosophical and Ethical Analysis. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, pp. 17–26. optional: Netzpolitik, 2021-11-17. “Why chat control is so dangerous.” https://edri.org/our-work/why-chat-control-is-so-dangerous/ |
| 4 | 06.05. | Bias & Discrimination | Videos: Joy Buolamwini Video 1, Video 2, Kimberle Crenshaw Video Background reading: Friedman, Batya, and Helen Nissenbaum. 1996. “Bias in computer systems.” ACM Transactions on Information Systems 14(3). |
| 5 | 13.05. | Power II | Mühlhoff, Rainer. 2025. The Ethics of AI: Power, Critique, Responsibility. Bristol University Press. From the Introduction pp. 1–3; from Chapter 4, pp. 75–84. Optional background reading: Manifesto for a Power-Aware Ethics of AI, pp. 172–181. |
| 6 | 20.05. | AI Paternalism | Mühlhoff, Rainer. 2025. The Ethics of AI: Power, Critique, Responsibility. Bristol University Press. Chapter 3. Backround reading (optional): Lacey, Cherie, and Catherine Caudwell. 2019. Cuteness as a Dark Pattern in Home Robots. In 2019 14th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), 374 81. IEEE. |
| 7 | 27.05 | AI and sustainability | van Wynsberghe, A. (2021). Sustainable AI: AI for sustainability and the sustainability of AI. AI and Ethics, 1(3), 213–218. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-021-00043-6 Optional background reading: Heilinger, J.-C., Kempt, H., & Nagel, S. (2024). Beware of sustainable AI! Uses and abuses of a worthy goal. AI and Ethics, 4(2), 201–212. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-023-00259-8 |
| 8 | 03.06. | AI, futurism and tech ideologies | |
| 9 | 10.06. | AI and the State | |
| 10 | 17.06. | Responsibility & Explainability | |
| 11 | 24.06 | Data Protection – foundations | |
| 12 | 01.07. | The EU digital legislation | |
| 13 | 08.07. | Data Protection and AI | |
| 14 | 15.07. | Written exam / Klausur |
Grading stuff
ECTS points for registered students
The class is offered as a lecture with optional discussion groups. Registered students can earn 4 ECTS points for the lecture and additional 4 ECTS points for discussion groups.
- Lecture: regular perticipation in the lecture is required (on site, streaming or recordings). Final written exam on 15 July 2025, 14–16, in the lecture hall. For those who fail the exam, there will be a make-up exam data in the first week of the winter term.
- Closed book exam on paper on site in the lecture hall; mostly multiple choice questions; no electronic devices allowed.
- Important: Register for the exam in EXA/Hisinone! Registration ends 1 week before exam. Not registered = no exam. You can register now and unregister until one week before the exam.
ECTS points / certificate for external students and exchange students
If you are an external student participating from anywhere in the world, or if you are an exchange student at the University of Osnabrück but cannot register for the exam through EXA, you can still obtain 4 ECTS points under the following circumstances:
- Make sure to participate in the exam on site in Osnabrück on 15 July 2025, 14–16.
- Provide a pre-filled document/certificate you want me to sign (PDF).
- Send this to my office before the exam date: office-muehlhoff (ät) uni-osnabrueck.de. Subject line: exam ethics of AI.
Discussion Groups (optional)
Discussion groups are optional and with limited capacity. They offer in-depth discussion of the lecture content and beyond. Perfect if you would like to get deeper into the field. Discussion groups meet 2 hrs/week with 15–20 students per group. Participants have to prepare a weekly reading.
For completing a discussion group you can earn additional 4 ECTS points for the “freie Wahlbereich”. To earn points, you have to participate regularly in your discussion group and hand in a video or audio podcast to your discussion group once during the semester. Please find details, advice & FAQ on video/audio homework here.
Important: To receive points you will have to register for the exam in EXA by week 3 of term!!
Capacities for discussion groups are limited to 3x 20 students. Registration on Stud.IP starts Thursday 17 April, 10:00 am CEST. First come, first served. All discussion groups are on-site and in English.
List of available discussion groups and Stud.IP links:
| Group | Time | Room | Tutor | Stud.IP | Free capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fridays 10–12 | 35/E23-24 | Lay Vu | Link | 0 |
| 2 | Thursdays 14–16 | 66/E34 | Frieda Schrader | Link | 0 |
| 3 | Thursdays 10–12 | 69/E23 | Sean Quägwer | Link | 0 |