PHIL 265.001 – Ethics, Politics, and Technology

Instructor: Yan Chen. This course meets MWF 10:10 – 11:00 a.m. in CW 105.

AI is reshaping our lives and will continue to do so. People rely on algorithms not just for finding songs and news articles, but also for making crucial decisions—like whom to hire or which military sites to target. This course examines the ethical and political implications of our growing dependence on AI. We’ll use philosophical tools to analyze the subtle ways AI alters our relationships with the state, information, technology, and each other. Together, we’ll explore how to think critically about these changes and respond to them from ethical and political perspectives.

Key topics we’ll cover include:
AI transparency and explainability
Algorithmic bias and fairness
Privacy and big data
Fake news and social media
Robots and the future of humanity

Have registration questions? Our PPE Administrators can help! Please email them at ppeprogram@unc.edu for assistance.