Explore the Modules on Our New AI Ethics and Society MSc
How do we tackle bias in AI systems? What happens to democracy in an age of automated decision-making? How should AI be regulated, and what role should it play in our relationships, workplaces and public services?
These are some of the questions at the heart of the programme's interdisciplinary curriculum, which combines technical understanding of artificial intelligence with ethical, social, political and cultural perspectives.
Students begin with three orientation modules. Most will take Introduction to Artificial Intelligence Fundamentals, while those with a BSc in Computer Science at 2.1 level or above (or equivalent) may choose an Advanced Computer Science Module from the School of Computer Science instead. All students also study Introduction to Ethics of Artificial Intelligence and Knowledge Futures and Interdisciplinary Skills Training, building the foundations needed to engage with AI from multiple disciplinary perspectives.
The programme then explores some of the most significant challenges facing society today through four core modules. Deployment Dilemmas examines where AI can create value and where it can cause harm across sectors including healthcare, education, work, security and urban life. Bias and (In)Justice in AI Systems investigates issues such as algorithmic discrimination, surveillance, global inequalities, environmental impacts and data justice. Democracy at Stake: Power, Politics, and AI explores the effects of AI on democratic societies, public discourse, elections and collective decision-making. AI, Human Relationships and Futures of AI considers topics ranging from therapy bots and affective computing to debates around artificial general intelligence and the future of human-AI interaction.
Students also choose between two optional modules: Navigating AI, Creativity, and Cultural Politics, which explores questions of authorship, intellectual property and cultural production in the age of generative AI, or Law and Regulation of AI, which examines the legal and ethical frameworks governing AI technologies around the world.
The programme culminates in Project Labs, a major independent project that enables students to investigate a real-world issue through an interdisciplinary lens. Students can choose to undertake a traditional research project, produce work in the style of a journal article, or complete a practice-based project, with opportunities to develop skills in ethical and responsible AI research throughout.
As Dr Andrew Kirton, Lecturer in Applied Ethics, explains:
Each module tackles a fundamental or foundational problem, the kind of problem that will be long-standing based on the way this technology works. Bias, injustice, accountability, global inequalities... these are chunky problems that will never go away, even as the technology develops.
Access the full programme catalogue here. This programme commences October 2026.