8.4: Teaching AI Ethics

The posts in the beginner and intermediate series included questions, resources, and prompts for a variety of subject areas. Since the areas discussed in the “advanced” level of these posts are much harder to find resources, I’m going to offer instead some suggestions for classroom discussion activities that could get students thinking about these issues. These discussion activities could be used in any discipline and from K-12 to tertiary.

Activity 1: AI Ethics Debate

Objective: Encourage critical thinking and discussion about the ethical implications of affect recognition.

Instructions:

1. Divide students into small groups, and assign each group a specific subject area (e.g., history, literature, environmental science, etc.).
2. In their groups, students will research and discuss the potential benefits and drawbacks of implementing affect recognition technology in their assigned subject area.
3. Each group will prepare a short presentation outlining their findings and their stance on the ethical implications of using affect recognition in their subject area.
4. After all groups have presented, hold a class-wide debate to discuss the different perspectives and explore potential solutions to the ethical challenges posed by affect recognition technology.

Activity 2: AI Ethics Case Study Analysis

Objective: Develop students’ ability to analyse real-world examples of affect recognition technology in various disciplines and evaluate their ethical implications.

Instructions:

1. Provide students with several case studies that highlight the use of affect recognition technology in different subject areas (e.g., education, marketing, healthcare, etc.). You could use some of the links throughout this post as examples.
2. In pairs or small groups, students will analyse their assigned case study, focusing on the following aspects: a. The purpose and application of affect recognition technology. b. The potential benefits and drawbacks of the technology in the specific context. c. The ethical considerations involved in implementing the technology.
3. Students will present their analysis to the class, and the class will discuss each case study, comparing and contrasting the ethical implications across the different subject areas.

Activity 3: Designing an Ethical Affect Recognition System

Objective: Encourage students to think creatively about designing affect recognition systems that address ethical concerns.

Instructions:

1. Divide students into small groups and provide them with a subject area or specific context in which affect recognition technology might be applied (e.g., education, mental health, customer service, etc.).
2. Ask each group to imagine they are designing an affect recognition system for their assigned context. Their task is to create a system that addresses the ethical concerns related to affect recognition, such as privacy, accuracy, and bias.
3. Students should consider the following aspects in their designs: a. Data collection and privacy protection methods. b. Techniques for ensuring the accuracy and reliability of emotion detection. c. Strategies for addressing potential biases in the technology.
4. Each group will present their design to the class, and the class will discuss the various approaches to addressing the ethical implications of affect recognition technology across the different contexts.
5. As a class, address the following question: Is it possible to develop a truly ethical affect recognition system?

---