Courses

The greatest risk in emerging technology is the perpetuation of bias in automated technologies dependent upon data sets. Solutions created with racial, gender or demographic bias, whether unintentional or not can perpetuate tragic inequities socially and economically. This is the first of five courses within the Certified Ethical Emerging Technologist (CEET) professional certificate and it is designed for learners seeking to advocate and promote the ethical use of data-driven technologies. Students will learn what emerging technologies are and how they can be used to create data driven solutions. You will learn types of bias and common ethical theories and how they can be applied to emerging technology, and examine legal and ethical privacy concepts as they relate to technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and data science fields. Throughout the course learners begin to distinguish which types of bias may cause the greatest risk and which principles to apply to strategically respond to ethical considerations.

Ethical principles build a strong foundation for driving ethical technologies. Principles alone can be elusive and impractical for application. Ethical frameworks based upon these principles provide a structure to guide technologists when implementing data-driven solutions. However, ethical frameworks, along with standards and regulations, can make compliance tasks more complex, and they can also raise the tension between ethical duties and business practicalities. An approach is needed to reconcile these issues. This second course within the Certified Ethical Emerging Technologist (CEET) professional certificate is designed for learners seeking to analyze ethical frameworks, regulations, standards, and best practices and integrate them into data-driven solutions.

Students will become familiar with frameworks and the common ethical principles they are based upon and how they can be applied across a variety of ethically driven dilemmas. You will learn applicable regulations and best practices established across global organizations and governments and how to navigate the integration of these standards in the context of business needs.

Data-driven technologies like AI, when designed with ethics in mind, benefit both the business and society at large. But it’s not enough to say you will “be ethical” and expect it to happen. We need tools and techniques to help us assess gaps in our ethical behaviors and to identify and stop threats to our ethical goals. We also need to know where and how to improve our ethical processes across development lifecycles. What we need is a way to manage ethical risk. This third course in the Certified Ethical Emerging Technologist (CEET) professional certificate is designed for learners seeking to detect and mitigate ethical risks in the design, development, and deployment of data-driven technologies. Students will learn the fundamentals of ethical risk analysis, sources of risk, and how to manage different types of risk. Throughout the course, learners will learn strategies for identifying and mitigating risks.

Leading a data-driven organization necessitates effective communication to create a culture of ethical practice. Communication to stakeholders will guide an organization’s strategy and potentially impact the future of work for that organization or entity. It is not enough to talk about ethical practices; you need to relate their value to stakeholders. Building out strategies that are inclusive and relatable can build public trust and loyalty, and knowing how to plan for a crisis will reduce the harm to such trust and loyalty.

In this fourth course of the CertNexus® Certified Ethical Emerging Technologist (CEET) professional certificate, learners will develop inclusive strategies to communicate business impacts to stakeholders, design communication strategies that mirror ethical principles and policies, and in case of an ethical crisis, be prepared to manage the crisis and the media to reduce business impact.

Creating and leading an ethical data-driven organization, when done successfully, is a cultural transformation for an organization. Navigating a cultural shift requires leadership buy in, resourcing, training, and support through creation of boards, policies, and governance. Beyond leadership and organization, it is imperative to engage employees through forums and incentive programs for continual involvement. A strong understanding of ethical organizational policies provides the foundation for consistent monitoring to maintain an ethical culture.

In this fifth course of the CertNexus Certified Ethical Emerging Technologist (CEET) professional certificate, learners will develop strategies to lead an applied ethics initiative, champion its crucial importance, and promote an ethical organizational culture. Learners will learn how to develop and implement ethical organizational policies and a code of ethics. They will also be prepared to evaluate the effectiveness of policies with internal and external stakeholders.