Leiden University: Minor Artificial Intelligence and Society: Understanding the development and impact of AI
The development of smart cars, video games that adapt to your gaming behaviour, law enforcement assigning your neighbourhood a risk score, insurance rates determined by your behaviour, finding your perfect match via an app: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly and radically transforming our interactions and the basic structure of our society. Our new minor AI and Society provides you with a basic understanding of AI and its applications in the world of today and tomorrow.
Within our infrastructure, work, communication, interpersonal relations, economy, democracy, health, science etcetera, AI tools are introduced to overcome limitations and/or increase efficiency, speed, reliability, convenience. Given the impacts across society, AI requires broad action and reflection on its embedding in society. This in turns requires broader knowledge and understanding of what AI is, how it fundamentally impacts our society and how it can (or should) be developed, implemented and used responsibly.
In the minor AI and Society, a broad range of Leiden University experts on different aspects of AI and its role in society join forces in creating such broader knowledge and understanding for students. The minor aims to host students from across all bachelors’ programmes offered by the University. It invites them to explore the perspective their discipline casts on the development and embedding of AI in society, as well as to develop an understanding of other perspectives. In the interactive parts of the programme, students will practise with the challenges in integrating the different perspectives towards responsible and trustworthy applications of AI in society.
The minor AI and Society consists of 6 courses, each 5 ECTS, adding up to a total of 30 ECTS. The courses are Fundamentals and ethics of AI, Governance of AI, Privacy and Data Protection, Law and Artificial Intelligence, Technology and Society: Values and Norms, and AI & Digital Skills.