College of Liberal Arts ‘Tech Ethics Video Series’ explores the ethical leadership of emerging digital technologies

West Lafayette, Ind. – Building upon its initiative to create a model program focusing on professional ethics at the intersection of the liberal arts and technological innovation, the Purdue University College of Liberal Arts has released a video series exploring the topics as a part of the “Leading Ethically in the Age of AI and Big Data” project, supported by a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.

The “Tech Ethics Video Series” includes 22 presentations by leading technology and ethics experts from diverse professional backgrounds, including industry, academia, the nonprofit sector and government. The series features both national and international speakers exploring a wide array of themes regarding ethical considerations across new digital technologies. Topics discussed include responsible and equitable technology, autonomous technologies, the future of work, data governance and privacy, algorithmic bias, artificial intelligence and K12 education, public interest technology and natural language processing.

“As emerging technologies continue to change all sectors of our society, it’s important for us to consider their ethical implications,” said David A. Reingold, the Justin S. Morrill Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Professor of Sociology at Purdue, who led the project. “The next generation of leaders must be prepared to navigate the complex challenges that emerging technologies create. The video series encourages future leaders to ask thoughtful questions in pursuit of ethical and sensible solutions to issues surrounding emerging technologies.”

Among the featured experts are Vint Cerf, recognized as one of the “fathers of the Internet” and now vice president and chief internet evangelist at Google; Shannon Vallor, the Baillie Gifford Professor in the Ethics of Data and AI at the University of Edinburgh; Jeroen van den Hoven, professor of ethics and technology at Delft University of Technology, Netherlands; and Ora Tanner, founder and CEO of Black Unicorn Educationᵀᴹ and co-founder of the AI Education Project.

The “Tech Ethics Video Series” is a free resource for educators and communities of experts. The brief videos are presented as concise introductions to complex ethical topics that will stimulate discussions in the classroom, workplace, and among individual users who interact with technology on a daily basis.

The “Tech Ethics Videos Series” is a part of the “Leading Ethically in the Age of AI and Big Data” initiative supported by a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. “Leading Ethically in the Age of AI and Big Data” focuses on establishing Purdue as a national leader in the ethics of Big Data and AI by fostering an expert community on campus through organizing events and developing a blueprint for undergraduate professional ethics curricula that will address the many ethical challenges presented by fast-evolving digital technologies.

You can watch the Tech Ethics Video Series here.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to today’s toughest challenges. Ranked in each of the last five years as one of the 10 Most Innovative universities in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at https://purdue.edu/.

About Lilly Endowment Inc.

Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based, private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J. K. Lilly and his sons, Eli and J.K. Jr., through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, the Endowment is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education, and religion. Although it funds programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion, it maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and its home state, Indiana.