Modified 2020-09-11 by Dev Ramesh
Student version (unknown ref duckiesky_high_school_student/introduction-relevance-ethics)
Requires:
Hardware - N/A
Previous lesson - N/A
Knowledge -
Students will be able to learn about what ethics is and why it is important
Students will be introduced to ethical challenges in computer science and engineering including algorithmic bias, accessibility concerns, and human job security
Skills - N/A
Modified 2020-06-29 by Rara Ma
Modified 2020-08-06 by Rara Ma
ISTE 2. a. cultivate and manage their digital identity and reputation and are aware of the permanence of their actions in the digital world.
Influence of Science, Engineering, and Technology on Society and the Natural World. Modern civilization depends on major technological systems. Engineers continuously modify these technological systems by applying scientific knowledge and engineering design practices to increase benefits while decreasing costs and risks.
Common Core ELA pg. 65: 2. b. Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.
Modified 2020-08-06 by Rara Ma
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to understand ethical implications of technology and engineering. Students will be able to do presentations, debates, or other activities assigned to show their understanding and brainstorming of possible ethical consequences.
Modified 2020-08-06 by Rara Ma
10 min: Introduction to the lesson. What is ethics and why it is important.
40 min: Introducing students to specific ethical implications of technological and engineering systems.
Modified 2020-04-16 by Garrett Warren
Modified 2020-09-03 by Peyton Strong
Teacher Materials
Projector for displaying videos or slides
Large sheets of paper and markers for student brainstorming in small groups
Print out note sheets for students to help take notes
Reference the student textbook for more detailed explanations of concepts and examples
Classroom Set Up
Space for students to be able to work and discuss in small groups.
Make sure each group of students have at least one large sheet of paper and a number of markers.
Modified 2020-04-16 by Garrett Warren
Modified 2020-09-03 by Peyton Strong
10 minutes
Hook
Exercise: Group Brainstorm: Ask students brainstorm on paper in groups about ethics and important/common topics addressed by ethics. Have students come up with movie or pop culture references for ethical dilemmas surround technology and robotics.
Examples of pop culture/movie references:
Explain the origin of the word ethics and what is ethics:
Explain the importance of ethics and explain ethical implications:
Modified 2020-08-11 by Rara Ma
40 minutes
Exercise: Students brainstorm different autonomous systems they have heard about or used. Students should think about whether they trust these specific systems and why or why not?
Explain autonomous systems, AI, ML, DL, and usage of algorithms.
Explain the benefits and disadvantages of autonomous systems and the use of algorithms in decision making processes.
Paper about fairness involved in algorithms that undergo ML
Article with more detail about Pneumonia and Asthma Risk System
Explain the incidents involving the Boeing 737 MAX.
Explain why MCAS was added and how the MCAS and a faulty sensor contributed to the grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX.
Explain other flaws with the incident.
Exercise: Students should brainstorm about potential sources of algorithmic bias
Exercise: Students can play this game to learn more about machine learning bias in the workforce.
Explain another example of algorithmic inaccuracy, this one is regarding facial recognition which is more applicable to humans.
Explain risks with its implementation in law enforcement.
Explain about a consistent problem in AI systems: how they identify people of different skin tones.
AI systems were less accurate at detecting people of darker skins by 5% (Georgia Institute of Tech).
Identify possible reasons that contributed to these systems not working such as lack of diversity in workplace, IR sensors.
article about encoded racial bias in technology
Exercise: Students can try out some of the questions of the Moral Machine on this interactive website
Explain that the Moral Machine focuses on nine different themes.
Note about the correlation between results of the Moral Machine and culture and economics.
Students may read this article to learn more about the experiment and findings.
While this is presented in a very game-like way, it is very interesting to take into consideration moral concepts that we think about in extreme situations.
Exercise: Students can brainstorm other ways that AI/autonomous systems/algorithms are used in systems used in society.
Explain that there are many systems in society that utilize autonomous systems that are important to society.
Explain open source and close sourced code.
Exercise: Students think or write down about whether important systems/algorithms should be close or open sourced?
Exercise: Based on what they have learned so far, has their original opinion changed about how much trust do we put into these autonomous systems?
Exercise: Students brainstorm about systems, apps, tools that use biometric data (ex: FaceID, tracking down crime suspects, access to restricted buildings, access to important services such as healthcare)
Explain advantages and disadvantages of biometric data in society:
Importance of using multiple of these verification methods
Article about Police Use of Facial Recognition
Exercise: Class or group discussion about potential advantages and disadvantages of this system.
article on China’s Social Credit System
Explain Correctional Offender Management Profiling for Alternative Sanctions (COMPAS).
Explain that COMPAS has displayed bias against African Americans.
Students will learn more about Robotics Operating System (ROS) in a later module, but it is a set of open source libraries that can help with programming of robots.
Explain predator drones as an example of drone systems that are in use by the US government for military operations.
Unmanned aerial vehicles face many ethical issues such as civillian casualties.
Exercise: Students can write a paper/debate in groups about whether they think predator drones should be used.
Class discussion: autonomous weapons should be treated like chemical weapons? Should they also be prohibited from use and fully destroyed?
Exercise: Students can brainstorm where AI systems are utilized in healthcare.
Exercise: Show of hands by students: would you follow a robot during an emergency?
Exercise: Show of hands: What if it seems to be going in a not so great path?
Explain robots are available to the public vs private sectors, accessibility of robots to people who may have accessibility issues, and the large amount of uses of UAV and autonomous systems.
Explain the effect of robot costs on consumers.
Explain that robots can help with humanitarian and emergency efforts.
Read this article for more information on UN and drones.
Read this article about UN’s operation with unmanned aircraft in DR Congo.
Read this article to learn more about Drones and Humanitarian Action.
Explain that with the development of AI and technology, there has been a growing reliance on them as tools in our daily lives.
Interesting video that can be watched:
Explain ethical implications related to what AI can impact:
Modified 2020-09-03 by Peyton Strong
5 minutes
Summarize ethics and the large positive and negative benefits of AI.
Remind students that there will be a safety module for the course coming up in one of the future classes.
Exercise: Teachers could also assign a short report/presentation/essay to students on a specific section of this lesson or overall how their opinions have changed before and after the lesson.
Useful Resources and References
Seattle Times Article for more information about the MCAS system for the Boeing 737 MAX:
Verge Article about other flaws involved in the Boeing incidents
Washington Post Article on the lack of notice to FAA about Boeing MCAS system
Paper on the Moral Machine Experiment
Paper about Fairness involved in Algorithms that undergo ML
Article with more detail about Pneumonia and Asthma Risk System and Wolf Vs Husky Identifier
Article about Rekognition and its failed Congress classifications