STU to increase AI ethics research and AI educational offerings and thought leadership in AI ethics
MIAMI GARDENS, Florida., August 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — St. Thomas University (STU) has assembled a new multidisciplinary working group to launch an artificial intelligence code of ethics for the betterment of society while accelerating efforts to create new AI-related courses, events and research .
STU’s new AI Ethics Working Group will encourage more thought leadership by hosting additional AI conferences and panels and complementing the university’s innovative AI curriculum , including an AI ethics certificate. STU has already created a new certificate in Applied AI. Dr. Timothy M. StaffordSTU professor, education futurist, AI ethicist and digital curriculum development expert, chairs the university’s AI working group.
As a Catholic archdiocesan university, STU is uniquely qualified to develop ethical standards, policies and procedures for the training of AI models and their end use. Leveraging STU’s Ethical Leadership Institute, the university will integrate a values-based approach to develop AI guidelines and best practices suitable for global distribution and adoption.
In addition, the university Benjamin L. Crump College of law will examine current laws and shape future laws to ensure that the legal field can keep pace with the rapidly evolving AI landscape while focusing on legal principles to address and resolve complex ethical issues arising from new advancements in AI technology.
“Artificial intelligence must aid, not hinder, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” the St. Thomas president said. David A. ArmstrongJD, who oversaw a 50% increase in enrollment to nearly 6,500 students since 2018 and made STU one of the 30 largest Catholic colleges and universities in America out of nearly 200. “STU is a pioneer in terms of programs, research and ethical codes allowing society to develop and use AI in a reliable, responsible, impartial and transparent manner. »
Dr. Michelle Johnson-Garciadean and academic director of STU, convened the university’s new AI Ethics Working Group, comprised of academics, theologians and experts from across the university. Members of the working group belong to the university’s Institute for Ethical Leadership, Benjamin L. Crump College of Law, School of Theology and Ministry, Gus Machado College of Business, Biscayne College for the Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and other departments.
St. Thomas University, Florida only Roman Catholic archdiocesan university and one of 11 across the country, builds on the Vatican’s global leadership role in promoting AI ethics. Pope Francis recently reiterated his calls for an international treaty for the ethical development and deployment of AI.
“Pope Francis recently reminded world leaders that AI will change the way we live, our social lives, and no less than ‘the way we conceive of our identity as human beings,'” said Mgr. the Reverend. Thomas Wenskyarchbishop of Miami. “St. Thomas University responds to the Holy Father’s call to unite people across borders, backgrounds and faiths to realize the potential of AI and avoid its perils. »
In 2020, the Vatican released its historic commitment “Rome Call for AI Ethics”, signed by Microsoft, IBM, Cisco Systems, numerous universities, UN agencies, private companies, non-governmental organizations and various Abrahamic religious leaders.
“We would condemn humanity to a hopeless future if we removed people’s ability to make decisions about themselves and their lives by condemning them to depend on the choices of machines,” Pope Francis told world leaders in last June during the 50th forum of the Group of Seven. “No machine should choose to kill a human being.”
“New technologies have the potential to either accelerate what society already does well, or amplify what it does poorly and unethically,” Dr. Stafford said. “There is much more to artificial intelligence than its dangers. STU is committed to creating and being a model for the effective and ethical use of AI for the greater good of society and its religious and educational institutions. “
About St. Thomas University
St. Thomas University (STU) is a private, nonprofit Catholic institution committed to the academic and professional success of its students who become ethical leaders in our global community. Rich in cultural and international diversity, STU is Florida’s only Catholic archdiocesan university. On our beautiful campus and online, the university’s College of Health Sciences and Technology, Benjamin L. Crump College by law, Gus Machado College of Business and the Biscayne College for Liberal Arts and Social Sciences offer 61 undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate degree programs. In 2020, STU launched its unlimited five-year strategic plan based on the pillars of unlimited dedication, unlimited opportunities and unlimited results. The plan was designed to provide students with a magical college experience that incorporates faculty mentorship, character-building activities outside of the classroom, and real-world experience required before graduation.
Contact: Dan Axelrod | St. Thomas University | (email protected) | 305.474.2418
SOURCE St. Thomas University
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