Artificial intelligence (AI) is an area of strategic importance for the economic and social development of the European Union and a key component of the Digital Agenda for Europe. However, at the same time that AI systems offer immense opportunities, they create risks and may contravene our democratic or ethical principles in areas such as the agency of human beings, inclusion (or its inverse, discrimination), privacy, transparency and more. Higher Education must play a role in contributing to cutting-edge, safe, ethical AI. It is up to us to prepare young people with advanced programming skills, but also to prepare all students to understand the implications of AI and ensure it is put to good use. The main objective of Trust AI, therefore, is to assist universities and HEIs to radically improve their AI teaching to emphasize the ethical and values-based components and to reach students from all disciplines, especially those from business, public policy and social science disciplines who will also shape how AI is deployed. We will achieve this by introducing three resources to help HEIs introduce new teaching on this topic. 1 The LEARNING FRAMEWORK for the teaching of Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education will define the competencies and skills related to reliable AI and the learning strategies to follow to develop the competences in students. 2 The OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES for Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence (Trustworthy AI) will enable teachers to include this topic in their taught courses. The OERs will include a teacher's guide, suggested activities and multimedia material that can be used directly with the students as interactive activities. 3 The GUIDE TO CONDUCTING Ethical Artificial Intelligence HACKATHONS will guide teachers on how to use this innovative methodology to help consolidate students’ skills based on real life business and social problems. During the project, at least 40 HE leaders and representatives, 80 teachers and 200 students will be involved in the development, testing and implementation of the project. As a result of our work: - Teachers from diverse disciplines will be able to mainstream advanced digital and civic-social skills in their subjects focusing on the critical thinking and problem-solving aspects of these. - Students will have skills more suitable for the labor market and to contribute to sustainable social development. They will understand how to take advantage of AI without compromising the values or trust that are the foundation of development and democracy. Trust AI will also have a significant impact on the higher education system in Europe and the wider EU Agenda for Artificial Intelligence. We will accelerate the sector’s knowledge of the work of the High Level Group on Trustworthy AI and, importantly, be the first to translate these into HE teaching and practice through the implementation of the guidelines for ethical AI, so that the next generation of young people can contribute vigorously to an ethical, safe and cutting-edge AI made in Europe. STEM study programs will be updated and teachers will have greater capacity to teach important non-technical, social aspects of the use of technology in society, and digital competences, especially the approach to the use and exploitation of technology for the good of society, will be mainstreamed for students from all disciplines.
The main objective of Trustworthy AI has been to help universities and other higher education institutions to radically improve their teaching in the field of AI to emphasize value-based and ethical components, and to reach students from all disciplines, especially those related to business, public policy and social sciences, which also play an important role in the expansion of Artificial Intelligence in society. In other words, the objective was to foster an innovative initiative in education, applying and teaching artificial intelligence in different areas of Higher Education, beyond the usual computational fields, reinforcing areas that are typically less prone to its use and which can also benefit society in the long term.
The Trustworthy AI project was born from the consortium's perception of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as an area of strategic importance for both the social and economic development of the European Union and, in particular, a key element in the Digital Agenda for Europe, but also from the recognition of the multiple risks of AI, which may compromise democratic or ethical principles. Thus, Trustworthy AI has addressed the role of higher education institutions in contributing to innovative, safe and ethical Artificial Intelligence, preparing young people not only with advanced programming skills, but also students from any field of knowledge to understand the implications of Artificial Intelligence and how it should be used for the benefit of society and humanity.