Hype and The Need for Responsible Compute

Every new computational tool or AI model comes with exciting promises, but it also brings challenges. These often leave behind questions about fairness, who benefits from this technology, and who pays the hidden costs. As educators, we are placed in the middle of this hype, trying to help our students make sense of these tools.

This chapter will take you through the history of responsible computing through the lens of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals. You will learn how issues like inequality, environmental harm, workforce exploitation, and bias can be part of new technologies. Along this journey, the authors share classroom activities, teaching ideas, and recommended readings you can assign in your own courses. This chapter is for you if you want your students not only to learn about fancy new algorithms, but also to be responsible and sustainable in their usage.