Co-creating the new AI Ethics and Society MSc

Student ideas are influencing our programme before the first lecture begins. We worked with the Student Partnerships Team to involve students from the outset

At Leeds Institute for Societal Futures we want to change society for the better and we want to do this collaboratively. But what does that look like in reality?  Our new AI Ethics and Society MSc has already sparked excitement across the University of Leeds.

But what makes this programme different?

Our Institute-led delivery model positions us outside of traditional academic structures and allows us to dismantle barriers to interdisciplinary education, creating a more agile environment for co-creation. With no set disciplinary focus, our courses are focused on specific societal challenges, bringing students, academics and leading experts together from the very beginning to design and deliver them. These courses train our students to find real-world solutions, and our flexible model ensures they have access to the knowledge and expertise needed to make that happen.

We believe that student voice is paramount to the successful design of any programme. Our AI Ethics and Society MSc is still in the early stages of development, but we’ve already held our first student sandpit to ask future learners (and future leaders!) what they want to see built into the programme’s pedagogy. Their voices are shaping the curriculum from day one, demonstrating co-creation in action.

Dr Thomas Campbell Deputy Director (Education) for Leeds Institute for Societal Futures, has a passion for ensuring the student voice is embedded in every aspect of our design, not just delivery.

This programme is about breaking boundaries - students won’t just learn about AI ethics and society, they’ll help shape how it’s taught.

Dr Andy Kirton, Programme Leader for AI Ethics and Society MSc, says he is ready to shape a course that challenges convention.

"AI ethics isn’t a side note – it’s central to how tech shapes society. This MSc will give students the tools to lead the conversation and take that expertise into their future career."

Student sandpit

In collaboration with the University’s Student Partnerships Team, we hosted a co-creation workshop to ask students what really matters in the new MSc. Facilitated by Laura Conroy, Student Partnerships Advisor, we used creativity to help co-create ideas with the students. Groups of students from across the university worked together to look at how AI might affect our future society.  How? We used an unexpected metaphor, designed by University of Leeds colleagues Chrissi Nerantzi et al in 2023, by designing a pizza, to spark ideas (see note 1).  Each ingredient represented a module element - what’s essential? What’s optional? What might be a bold extra or controversial topping?

By being playful, we all relax, making it easier to connect and reducing hierarchy" Iria Lopez, Senior Design Consultant, Learning Design Agency, University of Leeds.

"The e-pizza game is great fun way to drive inclusivity, creativity and engagement."  Tony Morgan, Associate Professor in Innovation Management Practice, University of Leeds

Student groups worked together to discuss which areas of AI are going to affect our future. Discussions included questions such as:

• Who’s liable for the impact of decisions made by, or under the advice of, AI?
• Who is responsible for the environmental impact of AI?
• Will AI threaten jobs – or enhance them?
• What counts as an original thought in an AI-driven world?
• Is AI causing a larger digital divide?

We’re looking forward to continuing to develop our AI Ethics and Society MSc in partnership with our students and will continue to share more details of our progress in the future. As Deputy Director (Education) Tom Campbell explains:

“Leeds Institute for Societal Futures aims to be the place where Leeds students learn how to shape the future - a space where co-creation, inclusion, and deep thinking come together to help us imagine and build a better world.  Our taught postgraduate programmes will be central to this vision, with the AI Ethics and Society MSc as our founding course.  Having our students co-create with us is an exciting and valuable new development.”

This programme is now open for enrolment to start in October 2026. To find out more, view our programme catalogue here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Note 1 – the pizza creation exercise used at this workshop was adapted from a resource by Nerantzi, C., Hammersley, J., McDonald, D., Briggs, S., Brew, M., Lickiss, M., Gilmore, J., Gooch, L., Iturriagagoitia, M., Reader, C. and Martinez-Arboleda, A. (2023) e(ducation)-pizza game for curriculum and learning design conversations and transformation. Leeds: University of Leeds. Zenodo. https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.8009637