AI Safety, Ethics, and Society
A structured, non-technical AI safety curriculum exists freely online - useful for APS teams building foundational AI governance literacy.
Key points
- Centre for AI Safety has released a free interdisciplinary textbook and online course on AI safety, ethics, and governance.
- Covers technical safety, ethics, game theory, complex systems, and AI governance - relevant to APS capability uplift.
- The online course ran July–October 2024; the item is undated and may now be past its enrolment window.
Summary
The Centre for AI Safety has published 'AI Safety, Ethics and Society', a freely available textbook and associated online course covering AI risk, safety engineering, ethics, and governance. The course requires no prior technical knowledge and takes an interdisciplinary approach drawing on economics, game theory, international relations, and complex systems. It is structured across three sections: AI and Societal-Scale Risks, Safety, and Ethics and Society. The textbook is also forthcoming in print through Taylor & Francis. The associated online course was scheduled for July–October 2024, so current enrolment availability is unclear.
Implications for Australian agencies
- Consider APS teams developing AI governance capability uplift programs could consider referencing or recommending this textbook as a non-technical foundational resource for staff.
- Monitor Agencies tracking AI safety curriculum development may want to monitor the textbook's print release and any updated course offerings from the Centre for AI Safety.
Implications are AI-generated. Starting points, not advice.
"AI Safety, Ethics, and Society" Source: Centre for AI Safety – Blog Published: (undated) URL: https://safe.ai/blog/ai-safety-ethics-and-society The Centre for AI Safety has published 'AI Safety, Ethics and Society', a freely available textbook and associated online course covering AI risk, safety engineering, ethics, and governance. The course requires no prior technical knowledge and takes an interdisciplinary approach drawing on economics, game theory, international relations, and complex systems. It is structured across three sections: AI and Societal-Scale Risks, Safety, and Ethics and Society. The textbook is also forthcoming in print through Taylor & Francis. The associated online course was scheduled for July–October 2024, so current enrolment availability is unclear. Implications for Australian agencies: - [Consider] APS teams developing AI governance capability uplift programs could consider referencing or recommending this textbook as a non-technical foundational resource for staff. - [Monitor] Agencies tracking AI safety curriculum development may want to monitor the textbook's print release and any updated course offerings from the Centre for AI Safety. Retrieved from SIMS, 18 May 2026.