MA-INF 4116: AI ETHICS SEMINAR

Summer Semester 2025

1. Presentation (50%):

Once during the semester, you will give an oral presentation focusing on a topic related to the course modules. A typical presentation will center on one research paper. However, your audience can only be assumed to have the knowledge gained in a Computer Science BSc. degree. You must survey reliable resources on your topic to gain depth on the subject and to provide background / broad context in your presentation. The background shall pave the way for describing the problem addressed by the paper. In presenting the main article, provide a high-level technical overview, and assess its contributions and ethical considerations. The presentation should be interactive. You will have up to 40 minutes to present.
 

Presenter responsibilities:

1. Prepare your presentation. You should submit an annotated bibliography listing the references consulted and a capsule summary of the important concept associated with each. Use a proper and consistent format for bibliographic entries. This should be appended as part of the presentation slides.

2. Submit your final slides by 9 am the day of your presentation by emailing them to fmai@bit.uni-bonn.de. Please include both the source files (PowerPoint, Google Slides, Latex etc.) and PDF format.

3. Present your topic in person!
 

3 x Moderator / Devil’s Advocate

You can choose (or will be assigned) three papers during the semester for which you will act as a discussant. Discussants play an essential role in stimulating class discussion. They will engage with the paper content more deeply and prepare questions for the class discussion. You must prepare at least three discussion questions relating to the work and ethical considerations. You are encouraged to collaborate with the presenter and the other discussants. I suggest you provide the questions to the presenter at the beginning of their slides to support audience engagement.
 

Expectations on your role:

1. Select your assigned discussion in the eCampus assignments, and submit your questions/ thoughts on your assigned paper by 9 am on the day of the discussion.

2. Participate in class (virtually or in person) during the discussion of your assigned paper. The discussion period for a paper will be 30-45 minutes.
 

Presence requirements:

You are required to attend at least 8 out of 10 sessions. The sessions will be hybrid and it is generally okay to attend online, unless you are the presenter.
 

2. Final Essay (50%):

In addition to being able to assess AI systems and identify and reason through ethical dilemmas and social impacts, an important skill is to be able to communicate your reasoning. You are assigned to write a five-page essay that engages deeply with a course topic and demonstrates the skills you develop throughout the course. The paper should survey the relevant work and perspectives related to a topic related to the ethics of AGI and explore and present an argument about their ethical dilemmas. You are encouraged to pursue an essay on the same topic as your oral presentation and build on the discussions from your presentation session.

You will develop the essay throughout the semester.

Deadlines:

• Block your presentation slot until: <DATE>
• Register your essay plan until: <DATE>
• Hand in your essay until: <DATE>
   
• Submission: Presentation and Final Essay should be submitted via eCampus. Further instructions will be announced soon.

• Master in Media Informatics: 4 ECTS credits
• Master in Computer Science: MA-INF 4116 - 4 CP
• Students must register for the exam on POS/BASIS.