Week 1

Welcome to the inaugural AI, Ethics, and Geoethics class! This class is going to be a lot of fun and I am really looking forward to working with you!

MUCH of the material for this course is going on a public-facing webpage because it is being used with our newly funded NSF AI Institute for Trustworthy AI in Weather, Climate, and Coastal Oceanography (AI2ES).  The way the course will be structured is to have as much of the modules on the public-facing page as possible and to use canvas for assignments, links to anything that is restricted to OU students only (such as links to books in the OU library), and to organize us by week.  The AI2ES webpage is organized by topic because other universities are using it for different length semesters or just using pieces of it for their classes.  Canvas will be used to organize YOUR experience as an OU student.  Expect a lot of links to the AI2ES course website!

How do you get started?  Your tasks this week all given on  Module 1.

For the assignments on the page, consider day 1 to be Monday Jan. 25, day 2 to be Wednesday Jan. 27, and day 3 to be Friday Jan. 29. 

To join the Slack (assignment on day 1), you will need to email Dr. McGovern or click the link in canvas.

Lots of it is interactive discussion with your classmates so let’s get started!

Weeks 2 and 3

Weeks 2 and 3 are going to focus on our second module:  Module 2: Why do we need AI, Ethics, and Geoethics?  

In addition to the assignments listed there, you will need to look at the modules that will run throughout the rest of the semester:

• In the news
• Project (your assignment for week 2/3 is to get started on discussing it, your proposal isn’t due until week 4)

The talk from AMS is available on canvas.  Note that although it is an hour long link, you are ONLY watching the first talk right now.  The second talk will be a later assignment.

Week 4

This week’s module will focus on interdisciplinary research.  We need to be good team players across disciplines especially as AI researchers because much of AI research is applied across disciplines.  Note that this week’s module will involve an assignment working with each other in class.  The content for the module can be found here (Module 3: Interdisciplinary research).

Some of you focused entirely on the modules last year and missed the fact that you had project discussion due.  Please make sure you go to the  project module this week and discuss and then turn in your project proposals.

Also, since I know some of you missed the project module last week, you may not have seen the in-the-news module.  This is a fun one just to find AI & Ethics (and Geoethics if you find it!) in the news or in the wild somehow.  Make sure to share on slack!

Don’t forget to do your grading declarations by the end of the week.  They are all listed in the module on canvas.

Week 5

This week has 3 tasks.

• Our main task is that we are going to jump into learning about Responsible Conduct of Research and then work on Responsible AI research.  The readings and videos are given in the Module 4: Responsible Conduct of AI Research page.
  • The nature article is linked in the module and on canvas
• Updated for this week:  turn in project proposals!
  • NEXT WEEK: We are going to continue our work on the project.  All of the project proposals will be posted in a google documents folder for comments (I can’t post these in advance, though I am preparing this page in advance, because they haven’t been turned in yet!  I will share the URL on slack and update this page once they are turned in from the previous week.). I want everyone to read the other proposals and make comments.  We will finalize the set of projects this week.
• Everyone should complete the first of the mid-semester self grading evaluations.  The link for this is in the information module.
• Don’t forget your grading declarations this week!

Week 6

Welcome to week 6!  This week we are going to study Geoethics and then tie the Geoethics into AI applications for geosciences.  We will also finalize our project proposals.

• The module we will study this week is Module 5: Geoethics and AI.  The materials are all available on the AI Ethics Course website.
• Please comment on the project proposals where you are not a member.  The two proposals are linked below
  • Treatment outcomes across Race, Sex, and Class 
  • Storm Reports: Filters vs. Not Filtered 
• Don’t forget your in-the-news module and declarations!

Weeks 7 and 8

Welcome to weeks 7 and 8 of AI & Ethics & Geoethics!  This week our focus will be on bias and AI but you will also be working on your projects.

Changes to discussion forum (to encourage more discussion!)

We are going to make some changes to the discussion forum based on ideas from your mid-semester feedback.  A lot of you expressed a desire to have more interactive conversation and had some good ideas on how to make it work.  Here is what we are going to do:

• Add a few more channels to help break up the amount of traffic on #general.  Specifically, I’m adding a case-studies channel for our continued case study discussion and we also return to #race-after-technology this week.  
• Add a bonus for going first in a thread (e.g. a grading declaration that can only be true for one person per topic that says “I posted first about idea X”)
• Strongly encourage the use of threads in your replies so you are actually having a conversation
• Strongly encourage lots of discussion (there will be a grading declaration that asks how many replies you engaged in)

Hopefully all of these ideas will help with your requests to get more conversation going!

Bias in AI module

The main module for this week is Module 6: Bias in AI. We will be working on readings and videos and discussion.

Project

There are a few key parts of your project that need to be finalized and started.  First of all, several of you don’t have a name on a project yet!  That needs to be fixed ASAP.  Second, the project on bias in weather data needs a lot more specification especially given how many people are involved.  Finally, both projects (and if a third emerges) need to create some deadlines for themselves.  The next checkpoint for project work will be in Week 9.  By then, we should see preliminary results and a short report on who has done what and what is left to do. By the end of Week 7, I want to see adjusted project summaries and a plan of work for all projects plus all names in the class need to be on a project.

Grading declarations

Don’t forget your grading declarations this week! They are all specified in the module itself as well as linked in the canvas module (and canvas assignment grouping).

Weeks 9 and 10

Welcome to weeks 9 and 10 of AI & Ethics & Geoethics!  Our focus for the next two weeks will be on AI and its impact on our humanity.  This is a really big topic and we can’t cover it all in 2 weeks especially since we have other topics we wanted to cover.  However, we will make good progress discussing lots of ways that AI could impact our humanity and you will have a chance to write up some of your own!

AI & Humanity module

The main module for this week is Module 7: AI, humanity, and employment.  We will have a variety of readings and videos as well as discussion and case studies.

Project 

By the end of week 9, please turn in a preliminary project report to canvas that shows your current results and what is left to do.  This should only be about a page.  

Grading declarations

Don’t forget your grading declarations this week! They are all specified in the module itself as well as linked in the canvas module (and canvas assignment grouping).

Week 10

Welcome to week 10 of AI & Ethics & Geoethics!  This week we will continue our focus on AI & humanity & employment.  We will be continuing to work in the same module as last week.

Mid-semester evaluations

At the end of this week, we are 2/3 of the way through the course!   I adjusted the evaluation to ask questions of how you want to do your final project presentations and how you want to tackle the last 5 modules.  Please make sure to fill out the evaluation by the end of the week.  The evaluation is linked at the top of this document or you can get to it here.

Project

Even if there is nothing specifically due for the project, make sure you are working on the project each week.  We will have another checkpoint due in week 11.

Weeks 11 and 12

Welcome to week 11 of AI & Ethics & Geoethics!  This week we are going to try a small experiment: We are going to explore two modules at once with a small set of required assignments in each (that will cover all of week 11) and then in week 12, you will choose how much of the two modules you explore based on your interests.  This is explained in more detail at the top of both Module 8: Data Ethics and Module 9: AI, Transparency, Trust, and Ethics.

Project 

By the end of week 11, all project groups should turn in an updated project report.  This report should showcase your progress thus far (note, we are in the last 1/3 of the semester so you should have good progress on your project!), discuss what is left to do, and highlight any issues that are hindering progress.  Be sure to also state your planned final project format (paper, video, demos, etc.).  Keep it succinct but use 1-2 pages as needed.  Make sure to turn this in to the “Week 11 project update” assignment.

Note, based on your survey results (see week 10), we will specify if we are going to meet over zoom during finals week for project presentations!  I will update this on the announcements once your final survey results come in.

Grading declarations

• I’m changing your declarations up for week 11 to see if it helps you to spread your work out a bit more.  Multiple people commented in the survey that they don’t like how the conversation is so lagged across the week so I’m going to make 2 dates – Wednesday and Sunday – where things should be turned in by!  Hopefully this helps with the lag.
• Don’t forget your grading declarations this week! They are all specified in the modules as well as linked in the canvas module (and canvas assignment grouping).

Week 12

Welcome to week 12 of AI & Ethics & Geoethics!  We are in the final part of the semester!  This week we will work on the same two modules as last week but you get to work on the choose your own adventure path where you choose how much of each module you want to explore.  This is explained in more detail at the top of both Module 8: Data Ethics and Module 9: AI, Transparency, Trust, and Ethics.

Project

Remember, the project is due during finals week and that is coming up soon!  You should be spending a fair amount of your class work on your project.

Grading declarations

• Because this week has TWO paths you can explore, just fill out the declarations for the path you chose and I’ll handle the grade point adjustments at the end of the week.
• Don’t forget your grading declarations this week! They are all specified in the modules as well as linked in the canvas module (and canvas assignment grouping).

Weeks 13 & 14

Welcome to week 13 of AI & Ethics & Geoethics!  This is the last module of new content (the final week will focus on the future of AI & ethics).  For the next two weeks we will learn about liability issues with AI, security & AI, as well as government policy and regulation of AI around the world.

Last week’s experiment with choose-your-own-adventure did not as well as planned so this week we are back to the usual module where you have 3 assignments per week.  The module for the next two weeks is Module 10: AI, liability, security, and policy. 

Project 

By the end of week 13 each group should turn in an updated project report.  Given how close we are to the end of the semester, consider this report a draft of your planned final report.  It doesn’t need to be finished!  But it needs to be MUCH more than just a timeline of activities.  Write at least 1-2 pages highlighting your results so far.  At the end, include a paragraph or chart on what you have left to finish.  Turn this in on the “Week 13 project update” assignment.

Grading declarations

• Continuing with the theme we chose after our last check-in, we have TWO due dates during the week: Thursday and Sunday.  This hopefully will help with the conversation lag of everyone doing stuff on Sunday night.
• Don’t forget your grading declarations this week! They are all specified in the modules as well as linked in the canvas module (and canvas assignment grouping).

Week 14

Welcome to week 14 of AI & Ethics & Geoethics!  This week we will finish Module 10: AI, liability, security, and policy and you will work on your final project deliverables.  I will give feedback on your week 13 deliverables early this week!

Grading declarations

• Continuing with the theme we chose after our last check-in, we have TWO due dates during the week: Thursday and Sunday.  This hopefully will help with the conversation lag of everyone doing stuff on Sunday night.
• Don’t forget your grading declarations this week! They are all specified in the modules as well as linked in the canvas module (and canvas assignment grouping).

Week 15

Welcome to week 15 of AI & Ethics & Geoethics!  This is our final week of class and I hope you have really learned a lot and enjoyed class!  I have really enjoyed having all of you in class! For this week, we will focus on the future of ethical and responsible AI.

Module 11: Future of Ethical AI

Your main reading this week is all in Module 11: The Future of Ethical AI.  I made the reading shorter than usual since you also have to work on your final project this week.  Note that there are two deadlines this week and the second one includes a class-wide document that you will jointly create.

Project 

This week is your official last week for the project.  OU changed dead-week rules recently and the project must be due by Wednesday.  Since this rule was just communicated to the faculty, I am allowing you to turn in the project up to one week late for no penalty.  Make sure that one person from each group turns in your final project report to “Final project” on canvas.

Grading declarations

• Don’t forget your grading declarations this week! They are all specified in the modules as well as linked in the canvas module (and canvas assignment grouping).
• Don’t forget that if you have been posting in-the-news links that you should complete the grading declaration for in-the-news!

Finals week

• Your final project reports will be accepted with no penalty until Wednesday 11:59pm of finals week.
• Final self evaluation report is due!