Free & Open-Access Textbook

Computing and AI Ethics

Philosophical foundations for a world shaped by technology

Brendan Shea, PhD  ·  Rochester Community and Technical College

CC BY-NC 4.0 — Free to use & adapt 12 Chapters  ·  Lecture Slides  ·  Interactive Quizzes No prior background required

Computing and AI Ethics is a complete, open-access textbook on the philosophical, social, and ethical dimensions of information technology and artificial intelligence. It takes seriously the questions that matter most as computing reshapes every aspect of human life: Who controls information — and who is harmed when that control is abused? What do we owe each other in a world of algorithmic decision-making, pervasive surveillance, and automated labor? What would it mean for an artificial mind to have rights?

The book traces recurring ethical patterns across five centuries of information technology — from the printing press to generative AI — and applies frameworks from virtue ethics, rights theory, and consequentialism to contemporary cases. Each of the twelve chapters is available as an extended HTML reading, a downloadable PDF slide deck, and (for selected chapters) an interactive self-check quiz. No prior background in philosophy or computer science is required.

Questions & feedback: brendanpshea@gmail.com  ·  View source on GitHub

A note on authorship. The lecture slides were written by Brendan Shea in LaTeX and are the primary authored materials. The HTML chapter readings were derived from those slides with assistance from large language models — primarily Claude (Anthropic). All content has been reviewed and edited by the author. Both formats are released under CC BY-NC 4.0: free to use and adapt for non-commercial purposes with attribution to Brendan Shea, PhD.
12 Chapters Full HTML readings
12 Slide Decks PDF, compiled from LaTeX
20+ Quiz Questions Per chapter, auto-graded
0 Prerequisites Open to all readers

Chapters & Materials

All twelve chapters are available as extended HTML readings, downloadable PDF slide decks, interactive self-check quizzes with 20+ auto-graded questions each, and Word (.docx) downloads for offline reading and annotation (beta). Each chapter can be read independently, though they are designed to build on one another.

# Chapter Materials
1 The History of IT Ethics Slides (PDF) Chapter Quiz Wordβ
2 Virtue Ethics and Modern Technology Slides (PDF) Chapter Quiz Wordβ
3 Free Speech in the Digital Age Slides (PDF) Chapter Quiz Wordβ
4 Intellectual Property Slides (PDF) Chapter Quiz Wordβ
5 Cryptography, Security, and Digital Money Slides (PDF) Chapter Quiz Wordβ
6 Privacy in the Information Age Slides (PDF) Chapter Quiz Wordβ
7 AI Ethics: Bias, Fairness, and Accountability Slides (PDF) Chapter Quiz Wordβ
8 Work, Automation, and Economic Justice Slides (PDF) Chapter Quiz Wordβ
9 Technology and Social Impact Slides (PDF) Chapter Quiz Wordβ
10 Existential Risk and AI Safety Slides (PDF) Chapter Quiz Wordβ
11 Robot Rights and Moral Status Slides (PDF) Chapter Quiz Wordβ
12 Games, Play, and the Meaning of Life Slides (PDF) Chapter Quiz Wordβ

About This Textbook

HTML Chapter Readings Extended readings for all twelve chapters, featuring key thinker profiles, argument boxes, case studies, definition boxes, and thought questions. Designed to develop the ideas from the lecture slides in greater depth.
Interactive Quizzes Auto-graded quizzes with detailed explanations for each answer. Three question types: multiple choice, select-all-that-apply, and matching. Your progress is saved in your browser so you can return where you left off or retry missed questions. Available for all twelve chapters.
Lecture Slides (PDF) Beamer slides in PDF format, compiled from LaTeX source. Available for all twelve chapters. LaTeX source is in the GitHub repository.
Word Downloads (Beta) Offline .docx versions of all twelve chapters, generated from the HTML readings via Pandoc. Include Mermaid diagrams as images and APA-formatted references. Formatting may vary; use the HTML reading for the canonical version.
License & Adoption All materials are released under CC BY-NC 4.0. Free to use, share, and adapt for non-commercial purposes with attribution. Instructors adopting these materials are welcome to reach out: brendanpshea@gmail.com