“Ethics, Public Policy and Technology Change” course notes

If we want a more ethically informed technology industry today,
we need an ethical study for technology professionals, not just college students.
— Lisa Wehden

Collected notes, links, and personal musings from the 2-month evening course on ethics in technology for working professionals from Stanford and Bloomberg Beta.

Sessions

1. February 3, 2021: Opening session
2. February 10, 2021: Privacy and digital civil liberties
3. Februrary 17, 2021: Platforms and the public sphere
4. February 24, 2021: Artificial intelligence and autonomous systems
5. March 3, 2021: Algorithmic decision-making and accountability
6. March 10, 2021: Technology, inclusion, and inequality
7. March 17, 2021: Concluding session

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Course description

Evening course with Stanford professors and Bloomberg Beta (Feb–March 2021)

Over the course of seven weeks, admitted students will study with three Stanford professors and a curated group of technologists, public officials, civil society leaders, and scholars in conversation around ethics, public policy, and technological change.

The focus: discuss multiple, often opposing, views about what can and should be done around the ethical and social issues technology companies face. We’ll look at fundamental texts, and explore them in the context of issues like; obligations to community and society, data privacy, algorithmic decision-making, handling contractors vs. employees, geopolitics, the power of private platforms, diversity and inclusion, and the culture of Silicon Valley.