Good robot, bad robot: the ethics of AI

This post was paid for and produced by our sponsor, Olin College, in collaboration with WBUR’s Business Partnerships team. WBUR’s editorial teams are independent of business teams and were not involved in the production of this post. For more information about Olin College, click here.

In answer to a future that will increasingly be shaped by AI, Olin College is incorporating AI and ethics concepts into multiple courses and disciplines for today’s engineering students. By preparing tomorrow’s leading engineers to develop confident, competent perspectives on how to use AI, students will be prepared to make ethical decisions throughout their careers.

For example, in its ‘Artificial Intelligence and Society’ class, students examine the impact of engineering on humanity and the ethical implications through multiple perspectives, including anthropology and computer science.

Each week, Olin students examine different topics, from bias in large language models like ChatGPT to parallels between perspectives on AI today and the 19th-century Luddite movement of English textile workers who opposed the use of cost-saving machinery. They also hear from healthcare and climate researchers who discuss the benefits of AI in their fields, such as using machine learning to identify inequities in the healthcare system or to improve renewable energy storage.

For their final project, students work in groups to design AI ethics content that can be incorporated into existing Olin courses. Together, students and faculty design problems for future engineering students to dissect, such as the ethical question of when to use AI tools in real-life scenarios.

Through pioneering this curriculum, the next generation of Olin engineers are equipped with excellent technical skills that complement their desire to change the world and the ability to adapt to a rapidly-changing society.

Founded just twenty-five years ago, Olin College of Engineering has made a name for itself in the world of undergraduate engineering education. It is currently ranked No. 2 Undergraduate Engineering Program by US News & World Report. Olin was the first undergraduate engineering school in the United States to achieve gender parity with half its student population being women. It is known around the world for its innovative curriculum. In a recent study, “The global state of the art in engineering education,” Olin was named one of the world’s most highly regarded undergraduate engineering programs.

The curriculum at Olin College is centered around providing students with real-world experiences. Students complete dozens of projects over their four years, preparing them well for the workforce of today — and tomorrow. And the world needs more engineers. US labor statistics suggest the country will need six million more engineers to graduate, to fully meet the demand for their critical skill set.

An emphasis on ethics isn’t surprising given that Olin’s most visible alumna is Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen. In her new book “The Power of One,” Haugen writes about her experience at Olin as a place that “believed integrating the humanities into its engineering curriculum was essential because it wanted its alumni to understand not just whether a solution could be built, but whether it should be built.”

Learn more about Olin’s unique approach to engineering education at olin.edu.