# Embedded EthiCS: Integrating Ethics Broadly Across Computer Science Education

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1808.05686 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1808.05686/

## Key facts

- Cited by 5 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 16 Aug 2018.

## Built on by (most cited first, 5 of 5)

- [The Contestation of Tech Ethics: A Sociotechnical Approach to Technology Ethics in Practice](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2106.01784/) (2021)
- [The AI Incident Database as an Educational Tool to Raise Awareness of AI Harms: A Classroom Exploration of Efficacy, Limitations, & Future Improvements](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.06269/) (2023)
- [Artificial intelligence in government: Concepts, standards, and a unified framework](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.17218/) (2022)
- [Ethics for Digital Medicine: A Path for Ethical Emerging Medical IoT Design](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.12007/) (2022)
- [Atomist or Holist? A Diagnosis and Vision for More Productive Interdisciplinary AI Ethics Dialogue](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2208.09174/) (2022)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Computing technologies have become pervasive in daily life, sometimes bringing unintended but harmful consequences. For students to learn to think not only about what technology they could create, but also about what technology they should create, computer science curricula must expand to include ethical reasoning about the societal value and impact of these technologies. This paper presents Embedded EthiCS, a novel approach to integrating ethics into computer science education that incorporates ethical reasoning throughout courses in the standard computer science curriculum. It thus changes existing courses rather than requiring wholly new courses. The paper describes a pilot Embedded EthiCS program that embeds philosophers teaching ethical reasoning directly into computer science courses. It discusses lessons learned and challenges to implementing such a program across different types of academic institutions.