# AI Ethics for Government Employees Course (Self-Paced)

Canonical URL: <https://www.graduateschool.edu/courses/ai-ethics-for-government-employees-course-self-paced>

## Overview

Artificial Intelligence is transforming government service delivery, but responsible adoption begins with ethical awareness. This four-hour, interactive training equips government employees with the essential knowledge and tools to navigate AI ethics, manage risk, and support trustworthy technology use in their agencies. 

Through real-world government examples and hands-on activities, participants will learn how to identify ethical challenges and apply practical solutions. The course emphasizes actionable strategies that government teams can implement immediately to build public trust and ensure compliance with evolving policies.

## What you'll learn

- Identify core ethical principles for AI in government settings
- Assess major risks and challenges related to AI ethics
- Apply practical tools and frameworks to identify and mitigate ethical issues in AI projects
- Navigate the government policy landscape for trustworthy AI adoption

## Curriculum

#### What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?

- Definition and scope of AI

#### Why Ethics Matters in AI

- Impact of ethical considerations on trust and adoption

#### The Unique Role of Government Employees

- Responsibilities in ensuring trustworthy AI in government contexts

#### Core Principles of AI Ethics

- Fairness
- Transparency
- Accountability
- Privacy
- Safety
- Human Oversight

#### Government Policy Context

- OMB & NIST guidance on AI (e.g., NIST AI Risk Management Framework)
- EO 13960: Promoting the Use of Trustworthy AI in the Government
- FAI/OMB/GAO roles and requirements

#### Ethical Risks and Challenges

- Examples of risks such as bias, lack of transparency, and unintended consequences

#### Practical Tools for Ethical AI

- Risk assessment checklists
- Human-in-the-loop practices
- Data governance and documentation
- Procurement and vendor questions

#### Application to Government Work

- Integrating AI ethics principles into day-to-day responsibilities

#### How to Build an AI Ethics “Action Plan”

- Steps to create an actionable framework for ethical AI in government agencies

## Instructors

### Steve Pesklo — Instructor

Steve is an energetic trainer who focuses on applying technical concepts to everyday work practices. He is the founder and president of SoftLake Solutions, a company that specializes in providing data and AI applications to identify fraud for Internal Audit, Criminal Investigations, Forensic Accounting, Privacy, and Compliance.

Steve brings a large amount of experience across multiple industries and government agencies. He is an expert in implementing large data analysis projects across the world, including Inland Revenue in the UK and Argentina, New Zealand, Africa and across Europe. Previously, he was the manager of Data Architecture and Data Services for a large mortgage company. He is a frequent speaker on data analytics and project management topics and speaks fluent German. He has been teaching at the Graduate School for over 10 years.

Steve has an M.B.A. from the University of St. Thomas and a B.S. in Computer Science from California Lutheran University and the Universität Salzburg in Austria. He is certified as a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Project Management Professional (PMP), and a Certified ScrumMaster (CSM).

## Pricing

**Tuition:** $675