SFI Master Classes

While the use of artificial intelligence (AI) is still in its infancy, application areas and the opportunities for automating complex processes are growing constantly. This is also because the field of machine learning (ML) is developing rapidly. The automation of decision-making—specifically that regarding ethical or moral issues—is also growing. In order to "outsource" this task previously reserved for humans to a computer in an entrepreneurial context, one requires a fundamental understanding of moral philosophy, which, put simply, must be transferred to an algorithm. Such an understanding requires a critical examination and discussion of the various forms of human decision-making, from both a scientific and a practice-oriented standpoint.   

Building on recent scientific findings, this SFI Master Class focuses on the fields of AI and ML. Its main subject is the automation of ethically or morally based decisions and the question of how to transfer them to algorithms. The Master Class consists of a combination of inputs, discussions, and group problem solving, with particular focus on the following topics:

Objectives

• Discussing the central question of moral philosophy and classical answers.
•  Understanding different normative frameworks for dealing with AI and ML.
• Deepening our fundamental understanding of ethical considerations in decision-making and automation—especially when it comes to ethical issues that are not about "right or wrong" but about conflicts between "right and right."