University of Helsinki's new open AI in Society MOOC will consider technology´s issues and challenges

While data science and AI create many opportunities in all dimensions of our daily lives, they also pose new legal, ethical, and political challenges. The new AI in Society MOOC, created in collaboration with the Una Europa alliance, will respond to the increasing need for more public awareness and understanding of AI.

Una Europa AI in Society Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) creates critical awareness of the basics of AI and its related ethical issues as well as its impacts on different sectors of society, including justice and jurisprudence, health care, and democratic participation. The MOOC examines how society could cope with these issues, and how the societal impact and relevant values can be considered in design, implementation, and deployment of AI.

The course has no prerequisites and is aimed at students, civil servants (e.g. within the European Union and national governments), policy makers, (ICT) companies, application developers, and regular laymen with interest in how AI will impact the society.

– Some people have prejudices toward AI systems. A better understanding of the impact of AI allows proactive dealing with the negative issues while ensuring that we all benefit from the positive opportunities, says Professor Jukka Nurminen from the Department of Computer Sciences of the University of Helsinki.

The multidisciplinary MOOC is based on latest research on Data Science, AI and Social Sciences. In addition to the compulsory basic part, students can choose optional modules matching their interests, needs and background. To support selecting the elective modules, the MOOC gives suggestions based on the background and previous knowledge of the student.

The course will be launched 2 June 2022 at the event Are you ready to live with AI? in Think Corner which is open to the public in Helsinki or streamed online.

The program

17.00–17.05: Welcome, Vice Rector Kai Nordlund
17.05–17.20: Demo and showcase of the MOOC, Professor and Academic Lead Jukka K. Nurminen and Post-doctoral
17.20–18.10: Discussion: AI is everywhere – multi-disciplinary approach to AI (draft title)

Speakers:

• Petri Ylikoski, Professor at Faculty of Social Science, University of Helsinki
• Alessandra Scagliarini, Professor of Veterinary Medicine at University of Bologna (Chair of Una Europa One Health Self-Steering Committee)
• Jarmo Eskelinen, Director of the Data Driven Initiative, The University of Edinburgh
• Professor Eric Osei-Assibey, Associate professor of Economics and Dean of International Programs, University of Ghana
• Jaakko Kurhila, Chief Digital Officer, University of Helsinki (moderator)

18.10–19.00: Drinks and mingling

More information: website

Una Europa AI in Society MOOC is provided by University of Helsinki in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh and University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. Una Europa is an alliance of leading European research universities, to which University of Helsinki is a member of.