About the project

Artificial Intelligence is in our everyday life. From the algorithm that recognizes our face when we are walking down the street feeding police biometric security services to the algorithm that chooses the advertising we will see in our social media, AI is everywhere. But although machine learning and AI are mathematics they are not always right and this happens because the data that is processed to come to any conclusion can be, and often is, biased. Social sciences have been studying Human Bias for many years. It arises from the implicit association that reflects bias we are not conscious of and that can result in multiple negative outcomes. AI and ML are not designed to make ethical decisions, that is not an algorithm for ethics. It will always make predictions based on how the world works today, therefore contributing to fostering the bias and discriminatory practices that are systemically rooted in our societies today. With the widespread of AI and ML technologies, often owned by big tech companies with the only objective of making profits, that is an urgent need to bring a human-centred approach to tech and using it to solve social problems instead of contributing to them. In its Communication of 25/04/18 and 7/12/18, the EC set out its vision for artificial intelligence, which supports “ethical, secure and cutting-edge AI made in Europe”. The Comission group for ethical AI stated 'AI has the potential to significantly transform society (...) AI systems can help to facilitate the achievement of the UN´s Sustainable Development Goals, such as promoting gender balance and tackling climate
change, rationalising our use of natural resources, enhancing our health, mobility and production processes, and supporting how we monitor progress against sustainability and social cohesion indicators.

To do this, AI systems need to be human-centric, resting on a commitment to their use in the service of humanity and the common good, with the goal of improving human welfare and freedom. While offering great opportunities, AI systems also give rise to certain risks that must be handled appropriately and proportionately. We now have an important window of opportunity to shape their development.

We want to ensure that we can trust the sociotechnical environments in which they are embedded. We also want producers of AI systems to get a competitive advantage by embedding Trustworthy AI in their products and services. This entails seeking to maximise the benefits of AI systems while at the same time preventing and minimising their risks. HE, AE and Youth require new and innovative curricula that can meet this skills gap and that can equip learners with the knowledge and skills to contribute to a more ethical approach to tech development. The need to make tech education more human is aligned with the Digital Education Action Plan that includes specific actions to address the ethical implications and challenges of using AI and data in education and training.

Objectives

To increase the capacity of HE institutions to provide its students online learning opportunities that meet society needs but also are tailored to students learning needs

o increase Tech students social and ethical competencies, allowing them to engage positively, critically and ethically with AI/ML technology

To equip teachers/professors with digital and engaging approaches to effective teaching the topic (specially in online teaching)

To create synergies between HE organisations and AE and Youth at regional level in the field of AI ethics education

To potentiate the transferability of academia courses on AI biases to AE and VET

To raise awareness about the topic at society level