The AI Risk module educates students in understanding and assessing the most serious risks posed by the development of AI systems.
Prof Andrea Sauchelli, Director of the Hong Kong Catastrophic Risk Centre, Head and Associate Professor of the Department of Philosophy, welcomed the enthusiastic international response to the course, saying that mitigating catastrophic risk requires a collective effort across all sectors to create a sustainable and resilient future, "After extensive preparation, our research team has launched this free online course to educate the public about catastrophic risks amid accelerating technological changes and environmental challenges. The course explores fundamental concepts, including risk assessment, rational decision-making under uncertainty, moral considerations of risk imposition, impacts on future generations, artificial intelligence risks, environmental global risks, the intersection of science and risk, and governance frameworks for catastrophic risks. Through this knowledge transfer initiative, we aim to facilitate informed discussions about our shared future.”
The online course provides textual information and instructional videos, starting from the basic concept of “What is Risk?” It incorporates authentic examples, and uses open-ended questions to stimulate thinking about the nature of catastrophic risks around the world. Subsequent modules expand on theoretical foundations, discussing practical decision-making under uncertainty, exploring the complex ethical considerations involved in responding to threats, and analysing the implications of decision-making under uncertainty. Students taking the course can adjust their learning pace and organise their time flexibly.
Most importantly, the AI Risk module of the course shows students how to philosophically understand and assess the multiple risks associated with the development of AI systems. For example, automated decision-making systems driven by advanced AI technologies are now used in a variety of domains to make predictions, although their algorithms or data may create biases in the decision-making process. Also, the capabilities of AI systems may soon be far greater than any we currently know, posing a catastrophic risk when the system's values diverge from human ethical and moral values. Many AI researchers are already working on technical solutions, such as attempting to make the behaviour of AI systems easier for designers to understand, in order to ensure that their values are consistent with human standards.
Scholars invited to teach this free online course along with Prof Sauchelli include Prof Andre Curtis-Trudel, Assistant Professor in the Philosophy Department at the University of Cincinnati; Prof Darrell Rowbottom, Professor of the Department of Philosophy at Lingnan University; Prof Peter Hawke, Prof Adam Gibbons, Prof Adam Bradley, Prof James Fanciullo, Assistant Professors of the Department of Philosophy at Lingnan University; Prof Daniel Pallies, Prof Song Fei, Dr Gary O’Brien and Dr Jesse Hill, Research Assistant Professors of the Department of Philosophy at Lingnan University.
