AI and Its Human Impact
September 29th - October 3rd

The Center for the Study of Ethics is pleased to host its thirty-second annual Ethics Awareness Week from September 29 - October 3, 2025. Our focus this year will be oriented around the theme of "AI and Its Human Impact."

Artificial intelligence has emerged as a substantial presence in business, education, media, science, and governance. The week's events will focus on questions surrounding applied AI and how these applications impact our lives as citizens, consumers, and members of the global human community. Faculty and students from across campus will present on a variety of related topics.

Sessions will include panel discussions, lectures, workshops, and film screenings. As always, the event is free and open to the public and hosted in the UVU Clarke Building, Room 511 and online via YouTube Live. For more information about our ethics programming, you can visit the Ethics Center website or contact Courtney Burns at [email protected].

Schedule of Events

 

Tuesday, September 30th


 

10:00 to
11:15 a.m.

 

CB-511

Panel Discussion
College of Engineering & Technology
"Hype, Hope, and
Hard Truths of Applied AI"


Jared Stein
Owner, Rarebird Ed Tech

James Conway
Growth Advisor, Motomtech

Jack Troutt
Associate Professor and Chair, Aviation Sciences, UVU 

Jepson Taylor
Founder & CEO, VEOX  Inc.

Moderator: Anne Arendt
Associate Dean, College of Engineering & Technology, UVU

recording

 

11:30 a.m. to
12:30 p.m.

 

CB-511

Plenary Address
Center for the Study of Ethics
"Same Mistakes, Different Tech"
Toward Artificial Intelligence
as Public Interest Technology

Gabriel Toscano


Gabriel Toscano 

Technology Policy Program
Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University  

 

What do we want from technology? Monumental investments in AI are breathing new life into discussions about how technology is built and to what ends. If history is any indication, building technology that promotes the public interest is neither trivial, nor the default trajectory. This paper develops a critical narrative of technological innovation, analyzing how policymakers, technologists and civic society can work together to guide AI development in the public interest.

recording

1:00 to
2:15 p.m.

 

CB-511

Panel Discussion
Woodbury School of Business
"Exploring Trustworthy Automation in Professional Judgment"
Keeping Humans Accountable While Using AI to Enhance Decisions and Trust


Silvia Clark
Assistant Professor of Organizational Leadership, UVU

Angela Jackson
Assistant Professor of Organizational Leadership, UVU

Noah Myers
Assistant Professor of Accounting, UVU

Jeff Peterson
Associate Professor of Organizational Leadership, UVU

Rachael Hutchings
Professional in Residence, Strategic Management, UVU

Eugene Seeley
Professor of International Business, UVU


recording

2:30 to
3:45 p.m.

 

CB-511

Student Panel Discussion
College of Humanities & Social Sciences

"AI and Creativity"

Seth Reid 
Colby Cameron
Brian Wimmer
Jack Cloniger
Jaden Willis
Shirin Abedinirad, Assistant Professor of Art & Design, UVU


Moderator: Chris Weigel
Professor of Philosophy, UVU


recording


Wednesday, October 1st


 

Luncheon for invited guests

Excellence in Ethics Award
Center for the Study of Ethics
Zachary Boyd
Director
Utah Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy

Zachary Boyd

Dr. Boyd is the Director of the Office of Artificial Intelligence for the State of Utah, where he leads out on developing AI regulatory policy and clearing paths for novel business applications of AI. He is on long-term leave from his role as a professor at BYU where he teaches applied and computational mathematics. Dr. Boyd’s research lab focuses on artificial intelligence, machine learning, and mathematical modeling in social science applications, such as psychology, economics, and social networks. Before working at BYU, Dr. Boyd was a postdoctoral research associate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an NDSEG Fellow at UCLA, a research associate at Los Alamos National Laboratory, and a Presidential Scholar at BYU.

1:00 to
1:50 p.m.

 

CB-511

Panel Discussion
School of Education

"AI and Its Challenges
and Opportunities for Education"


Krista Ruggles
Associate Professor, Elementary Education, UVU
Director of Innovation, School of Education


Chris Goslin

Associate Professor of Student Leadership & Success Studies, UVU


Laurel Dias

Assistant Professor of Secondary Education, UVU


Moderator: Benjamin Johnson
Associate Professor of Student Leadership & Success Studies, UVU


recording

2:00 to
2:50 p.m.

 

CB-511

Student Panel
UVU Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl Team

"Ethical Perspectives
on The Future of AI"


UVU Ethics Bowl Team

Ryen Booze                      Tanner Brooksby
Sybrielle Dulin                Leslie Larson
Audrey Smith                  Calvin Suder
Ali Vanerwel                    Cameron Ward
Jaden Willis 

Moderator: Zakary Shelley, Ethics Bowl Team, UVU  
 


recording


Thursday, October 2nd


 

10:00 to
11:15 a.m.

 

CB-511

Panel Discussion
College of Science
"AI and Science"
Evolution or Revolution?


Dustin Shipp
Associate Professor of Physics, UVU

Jon Anderson
Associate Professor of Mathematics, UVU

Moderator: Hilary Hungerford
Professor of Geography, UVU


recording
11:30 a.m. to
12:45 p.m.

 

CB-511

Keynote Address
Center for the Study of Ethics
"Moral Imagination"
From Smart to Wise AI

Nathan Walker

Nathan Walker 
Principal Investigator, AI Ethics Lab
Rutgers University

Is “smart” the best we can imagine for this century’s technological advancements? Or are we striving for something more? Artificial intelligence promises efficiency and innovation, but will it enrich the human experience and tap what makes people wise? This keynote will introduce moral imagination as a conceptual framework to measure whether human wisdom is embedded throughout the AI lifecycle. Dr. Walker will challenge attendees to think not only about how to build smarter machines but also how preventing harm, promoting good, and safeguarding human dignity sets us on a path toward a wiser future.

*sponsored in partnership with the UVU Applied AI Institute

recording

1:00 to
2:15 p.m.

 

CB-511

Panel Discussion
College of Health & Public Service

"Ethical AI in

Public Safety and Healthcare"
Technology as a Tool, Humanity as the Heart


Merilee Larsen
Chair, Department of Health Sciences, UVU

Elizabeth Chesna
Assistant Professor of Forensic Science, UVU

Jeremiah McGuire
Lecturer, Department of Health Sciences, UVU

Ryan Baker
Assistant Professor, Physician Assistant Program, UVU

Eric Russell
Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Services, UVU

Moderator: Bryan Waite
Associate Dean, College of Health & Public Service, UVU


recording

 

2:30 to
3:45 p.m.

 

CB-511

Panel Discussion
Center for the Study of Ethics
Wrestling With AI Policy at UVU 

Chris Weigel
Professor of Philosophy, UVU

Merilee Larsen
Chair, Department of Health Sciences, UVU

Moderator: Evelyn Porter
Executive Director, Applied AI Institute, UVU 

*sponsored in partnership with the Applied AI Institute, UVU


recording

 

Friday, October 3rd


2:00 to
4:00 p.m.

 

CB-511

Film Screenings & Panel Discussion
Peace & Justice Studies
AI and Autonomous Weapons

Moderator: Lynn England
Director, Peace & Justice Studies Program, UVU
6:00 to
8:00 p.m.

 

CB-511

Student Activity
UVU Ethics Bowl Team
Ethics SlamAll are invited to participate in this event where students will respond to probing ethical questions. 

Facilitators

Kaitlyn Russell
Coach, UVU Ethics Bowl Team

Jeff Nielsen
Coach, UVU Ethics Bowl Team

For more information, contact Courtney Burns at [email protected]