Course Overview

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping industries, decision-making, and everyday life — but with innovation comes ethical responsibility.

AI Ethics: Foundations introduces participants to the essential principles, risks, and frameworks that guide the responsible use of AI. Designed for professionals, educators, and entrepreneurs, this course develops literacy in fairness, accountability, transparency, and privacy, the four pillars of ethical AI.

Through examples from real-world applications such as generative AI tools, healthcare analytics, and recruitment algorithms, learners gain the confidence to recognize ethical challenges and make informed, responsible choices in their personal and professional use of AI.

This foundational course prepares participants for the next level, AI Ethics with Responsible AI: Governance and Implementation, where principles are transformed into organizational practice.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

1. Define Artificial Intelligence and Generative AI in accessible terms and explain their growing role in society and business.
2. Describe why ethics is essential to trustworthy AI and how the four ethical pillars—Fairness, Accountability, Transparency, and Privacy—apply across sectors.
3. Identify common ethical risks such as bias, misinformation, and data misuse in AI applications.
4. Interpret basic international frameworks and guidelines for ethical AI (Australian AI Principles, UAE Charter, UNESCO Recommendation).
5. Apply ethical reasoning to everyday scenarios involving AI decision-making.
6. Reflect on personal and organizational responsibilities when using or deploying AI tools.

What You Will Learn

• The fundamentals of AI and why ethics matters.
• The four pillars of ethical AI and how they intersect with human-centred design.
• Common ethical risks in AI systems and simple mitigation practices.
• Real-world case examples across business, education, and government.
• How international principles guide responsible innovation.
• Practical reflection tools for ethical AI use in professional life.

Who This Course Is For

• Professionals, SME owners, and entrepreneurs beginning to integrate AI into their work.
• Educators and trainers seeking to introduce AI responsibly in teaching and learning.
• Students, administrators, and policy officers exploring ethical technology adoption.
  No prior AI or ethics background is required, only curiosity and an interest in responsible innovation.

Course Structure

Duration: 6–8 hours (1 full day or two half-days)
Delivery: Online live, self-paced, or in-person workshop
Certification: Certificate of Completion – AI Ethics: Foundations (Sydney Institute of Technology & Innovation)