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We hope to contribute to the thriving field of AI ethics and social impact through original interdisciplinary research that also draws upon technical insights from our team, expertise from other disciplines, and the voices of people affected by the development of these new technologies. Our research themes reflect the key ethical challenges that we believe exist for us and the wider AI community.

There's a well-known thought experiment in the world of artificial intelligence that poses a simple, but potentially very scary, question: what if we asked a super-intelligent AI to make paperclips? This may not sound terrifying at first, but as Oxford philosopher Nick Bostrom (who first described the parable) explains, it all depends on how well we've trained the AI. If we've given it common sense, it might ask us: "How many paperclips do you want?" If it doesn't know to ask, it might just make paperclips forever. And, if it's a super-intelligent AI that we've accidentally forgotten to program with any human ethics or values, it might decide that the most efficient way to make paperclips is to wipe out humanity and terraform the planet into one giant paperclip-making factory.

Challenges of a digital society and response of Dutch universities. One programme, seven themes: Citizenship & Democracy, Responsible Data Science, Health & Well-Being Learning & Education, Work & Organisations, Digital Cities & Communities, Safety & Security