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University of Helsinki launches Ethics of AI online course

The Ethics of AI course consists of seven sections, which include literature and assignments. The sections explore questions of ethics through practical cases, which have been provided by the project partners at the Ministry of Finance and other administrative bodies as well as Helsinki, London and Amsterdam.

“The City of Helsinki is developing digital services according to the mindset that they are making the lives of Helsinki residents easier and anticipating service needs. The widespread utilisation of digital services and artificial intelligence requires maintaining trust in the city’s operations,” added Jan Vapaavuori, mayor of Helsinki.

“In the future, a certain level of understanding related to AI will be a civic skill. In terms of artificial intelligence, it’s essential to also consider ethical viewpoints.”

A case provided by the City of Helsinki used on the course focuses on the use of AI in social and healthcare services as well as in forecasting the health risks of city residents.

“What if we had an algorithm at our disposal that could identify, on the basis of residents’ health data, those with a heightened risk of developing, say, cardiovascular diseases? added Pasi Rautio, project manager from the strategies division of the Helsinki City Executive Office

“We could invite the people in at-risk groups for check-ups, thus improving their lives and cutting healthcare costs. But would it be ethical?”

Access the free online course here: https://ethics-of-ai.mooc.fi

See the full story here: https://www.smartcitiesworld.net/smart-cities-news/university-of-helsinki-launches-ethics-of-ai-online-course-5902