Responsible AI Project (2021–2024) | National Humanities Center

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Responsible AI Project (2021–2024)

instructor leading classroom lecture on artificial intelligence

Responsible AI Project (2021–2024)

In 2021, the National Humanities Center (NHC) began a partnership with Google to reimagine the training needed to live and work ethically and responsibly with artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. This partnership resulted in a new mentorship program to support selected university faculty from across the country as they have developed and implemented courses on responsible AI that draw on humanities perspectives and methodologies. In the first phase of the Responsible AI (RAI) project, 23 university faculty from 15 institutions were chosen via a competitive selection process. Applicants for this phase were limited to scholars from current NHC Institutional Sponsors.
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Responsible AI scholars at the 2022 institute

Given the success of the first phase of the project, the NHC has launched a second phase, supported once again with a gift from Google, that will extend the ongoing effort to community colleges and minority-serving institutions.

2023–24 Responsible AI Courses

The outcome of the first phase of the project has been the development of 15 new undergraduate courses that address ethical questions about the role of artificial intelligence in our world. Each course was designed by a nominated faculty member, and each institution made the course available for credit. Considered together, these courses offer insights into the emerging role of artificial intelligence in our world, and the part post-secondary institutions can play in preparing students to assess the impact and value of those technologies.

Featured Courses

  • Artificial Intelligence; Ethics; Technology; Curriculum
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  • Swarthmore College, “Ethics and Technology,” Spring 2024
  • Arizona State University, “Human Impacts of Artificial Intelligence,” Fall 2023
  • North Carolina State University, “Responsible AI and Society,” Fall 2023
  • Rice University, “Responsible AI for Health,” Fall 2023
  • Texas A&M University, “Ethics of Artificial Intelligence,“ Fall 2023
  • The University of Utah, “Responsible AI: A Praxis Lab,” Spring 2024
  • The University of Utah, “Writing for Humans in the Age of AI,“ Fall 2023

All Courses

Institution Course Instructor(s) Semester
Arizona State University Human Impacts of AI Gaymon Bennett, Erica O’Neil Fall 2023
Bowdoin College AI Ethics Eric Chown, Allison Cooper, Michael Franz, Fernando Nascimento Fall 2023
Case Western Reserve University Responsible AI: Cultivating a Just and Sustainable Socio-technical Future through Data Citizenship Timothy Beal, Michael Hemenway Spring 2024
Davidson College Critical AI Studies Raghu Ramanujan, Mark Sample Spring 2024
Duke University Artificial Intelligence in Literature and Film Aarthi Vadde (NHC Fellow, 2020–21) Spring 2024
George Mason University Equitable AI Nupoor Ranade Spring 2024
Johnson C. Smith University Responsible Artificial Intelligence Felesia Stukes Spring 2024
North Carolina State University Responsible AI and Society Huiling Ding Fall 2023
Rice University Responsible AI for Health Kirsten Ostherr Fall 2023
Swarthmore College Ethics and Technology Lisa Meeden, Krista K. Thomason (NHC Fellow, 2021–22) Spring 2024
Texas A&M University Ethics of Artificial Intelligence Glen Miller Fall 2023
University of California, Santa Cruz Artificial Intelligence and Human Imagination Zac Zimmer Fall 2023
University of Florida Gender, Race, and Worldbuilding with AI Hina Shaikh Fall 2023
University of Georgia AI for Humans: Learning to Live with AI Kimberly Van Orman Spring 2024
The University of Utah Praxis Lab in Responsible AI Elizabeth Callaway Fall 2023, Spring 2024
The University of Utah Responsible AI and the Literary Imagination Elizabeth Callaway Spring 2024
The University of Utah Writing for Humans in the Age of AI Elizabeth Callaway Fall 2023, Spring 2024

2021–24 Responsible AI Cohort

  • Artificial Intelligence; Ethics; Technology; Curriculum

    Timothy Beal

    Distinguished University Professor and Florence Harkness Professor of Religion, Case Western Reserve University

  • Artificial Intelligence; Ethics; Technology; Curriculum

    Elizabeth Callaway

    Assistant Professor of English, The University of Utah

  • Artificial Intelligence; Ethics; Technology; Curriculum

    Eric Chown

    Professor of Digital and Computational Studies, Bowdoin College

  • Artificial Intelligence; Ethics; Technology; Curriculum

    Allison Cooper

    Assistant Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures and Cinema Studies, Bowdoin College

  • Artificial Intelligence; Ethics; Technology; Curriculum

    Huiling Ding

    Professor of English, North Carolina State University

  • Artificial Intelligence; Ethics; Technology; Curriculum

    Michael Franz

    Professor of Government, Bowdoin College

  • Artificial Intelligence; Ethics; Technology; Curriculum

    Michael Hemenway

    Research Associate, h.lab, Case Western Reserve University

  • Artificial Intelligence; Ethics; Technology; Curriculum

    Lisa Meeden

    Professor of Computer Science, Swarthmore College

  • Artificial Intelligence; Ethics; Technology; Curriculum

    Kristi Sweet

    Associate Professor of Philosophy, Texas A&M University

  • Artificial Intelligence; Ethics; Technology; Curriculum

    Fernando Nascimento

    Assistant Professor of Digital and Computational Studies, Bowdoin College

  • Artificial Intelligence; Ethics; Technology; Curriculum

    Erica O’Neil

    Research Program Manager, Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics, Arizona State University

  • Artificial Intelligence; Ethics; Technology; Curriculum

    Kirsten Ostherr

    Professor of English, Rice University

  • Artificial Intelligence; Ethics; Technology; Curriculum

    Raghuram Ramanujan

    Associate Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science, Davidson College

  • Artificial Intelligence; Ethics; Technology; Curriculum

    Nupoor Ranade

    Assistant Professor of English, George Mason University

  • Artificial Intelligence; Ethics; Technology; Curriculum

    Mark Sample

    Associate Professor of Digital Studies, Davidson College

  • Artificial Intelligence; Ethics; Technology; Curriculum

    Hina Shaikh

    Assistant Professor, Center for Gender Studies, University of Florida

  • Artificial Intelligence; Ethics; Technology; Curriculum

    Felesia Stukes

    Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Johnson C. Smith University

  • Artificial Intelligence; Ethics; Technology; Curriculum

    Krista K. Thomason
    (NHC Fellow, 2021–22)

    Associate Professor of Philosophy, Swarthmore College

  • Artificial Intelligence; Ethics; Technology; Curriculum

    Aarthi Vadde
    (NHC Fellow, 2020–21)

    Associate Professor of English, Duke University

  • Artificial Intelligence; Ethics; Technology; Curriculum

    Kimberly Van Orman

    Lecturer, Institute for Artificial Intelligence, University of Georgia

  • Artificial Intelligence; Ethics; Technology; Curriculum

    Zac Zimmer

    Associate Professor of Literature, University of California, Santa Cruz

2022 Responsible AI Institute

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Responsible AI scholars collaborating during an institute workshop

A key element of phase one of the Responsible AI project was a weeklong faculty institute in the summer of 2022 during which participants began developing a semester-long course that addressed key themes and topics in responsible artificial intelligence. These courses were added to their respective institutions’ 2023–24 course catalogs and offered for credit to eligible undergraduate students.

The 2022 institute provided the following support:

Institute Leaders and Speakers

Materials Developed by the 2021–24 Responsible AI Cohort

with support from Google