The Gift of Fire: Ethics, Law and Literacy in the Age of Autonomous AI

As AI systems become more autonomous and embedded in daily life, the ethical, legal and professional responsibilities of those who design, deploy and govern them are under increasing scrutiny. This session explores why many of today’s AI risks, bias, misinformation and surveillance were foreseeable decades ago, yet remain largely unaddressed. Drawing on insights from the academic books, “Professional Practice in Engineering and Computing”, and “A Gift of Fire- Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues for Computing Technology,” we will examine how ethics and law must evolve to meet the challenges of agentic AI. We will also explore the critical role of AI literacy not just for professionals, but for families, educators and the next generation. This session is a call to action: to embed ethical foresight, legal accountability and public understanding into the heart of AI governance.

What you will learn:

• Why ethics and professionalism are essential to responsible AI governance—and how they have been overlooked.
• How AI literacy can empower individuals and communities to understand and mitigate AI-related risks.
• What legal and governance frameworks must evolve to address the realities of autonomous and agentic AI.