AI Law and PolicyCornell Certificate Program

This course provides you with foundational knowledge about how AI works along with its advantages and limitations. You will examine predictive and generative AI systems and consider how they create risks like misinformation and bias. You'll explore AI's most pressing ethical and legal challenges, including issues like defamation, discrimination, premature automation, and the rise of counterfeit personas. You'll also access two critical frameworks — the risk-based and rights-based approaches — to help assess AI's ethical impact. You'll analyze real-world case studies in fields like healthcare and policing to understand how these frameworks can guide responsible AI use and protect fundamental rights.

By the end of this course, you will have developed a solid foundation in evaluating AI's ethical and legal implications. You'll be prepared to critically assess AI's role in your organization, advocate for ethical policies, and responsibly integrate AI into your professional field.

As organizations increasingly integrate AI into workflows and decision-making processes, it is important to recognize AI's implications for data privacy and how its use can lead to biased outcomes. This course empowers you to navigate the data privacy regulations relevant to AI, recognize the dynamics of algorithmic bias and discrimination, and adopt strategies for fostering fair and inclusive AI systems.

You will analyze landmark U.S. and European privacy laws to understand their impact on the use of AI, examine how to audit AI systems for performance and equity, assess AI vendor contracts, and explore transparency initiatives like AI disclosures. By the end of the course, you'll have developed the critical skills of respecting data privacy, reducing bias, and upholding ethical standards in AI use.

You are required to have completed the following course or have equivalent experience before taking this course:

• Exploring the Legal Principles of AI

AI use can create numerous legal and ethical risks, including intellectual property violations, defamation, unfair assessments, and liability for harmful outcomes. This course equips you with foundational knowledge about intellectual property protections, including patents, trade secrets, and copyrights.

You will explore how the use of AI can risk violating intellectual property and what can be done to mitigate this. You'll also evaluate vendor contracts for risk-shifting clauses, analyze liability doctrines such as principal-agent relationships, and explore the liability implications of delegating tasks to autonomous AI agents. By the end of the course, you'll have developed critical skills to safeguard intellectual property assets, minimize liability exposure, and deploy AI responsibly in high-stakes environments.

You are required to have completed the following courses or have equivalent experience before taking this course:

• Exploring the Legal Principles of AI
• Promoting Effective and Inclusive AI

This course examines the global nature of artificial intelligence and how it is reshaping industries, international power dynamics, and business opportunities worldwide. You will explore how organizations and nations compete for AI dominance while discovering how to navigate the complex landscape of international AI development and its strategic implications.

You will also examine practical guidance on managing global AI governance frameworks, helping your organization balance regulatory compliance with innovation while operating in an evolving global AI landscape.

You are required to have completed the following courses or have equivalent experience before taking this course:

• Exploring the Legal Principles of AI
• Promoting Effective and Inclusive AI
• Managing Legal and Ethical Risks in AI

This course equips you with the essential knowledge and tools needed to successfully navigate AI implementation within organizations. You will master both the technical requirements and human dimensions of AI adoption, including implementation roadmaps, cultural change management, and governance frameworks. You'll discover how to build comprehensive toolkits for leading successful AI initiatives that balance innovation with responsibility while maintaining organizational values and compliance.

You are required to have completed the following courses or have equivalent experience before taking this course:

• Exploring the Legal Principles of AI
• Promoting Effective and Inclusive AI
• Managing Legal and Ethical Risks in AI
• Competing and Thriving in a Global AI Landscape

This course provides you with tools and strategies to prepare your organization for the rapidly evolving AI landscape. You will have an opportunity to practice advanced scenario-planning techniques and develop robust strategies to address AI-driven changes for the next five to ten years.

You will also explore the frameworks needed to identify opportunities, mitigate risks, and build organizational resilience in an AI-transformed future. Ultimately, you'll be able to guide your organization's strategic response to AI developments, turning potential disruptions into opportunities for growth and innovation.

You are required to have completed the following courses or have equivalent experience before taking this course:

• Exploring the Legal Principles of AI
• Promoting Effective and Inclusive AI
• Managing Legal and Ethical Risks in AI
• Competing and Thriving in a Global AI Landscape
• Shaping Internal AI Policies

Symposium sessions feature three days of live, highly interactive virtual Zoom sessions that will explore today’s most pressing topics. The AI Symposium offers you a unique opportunity to engage in real-time conversations with peers and experts from the Cornell community and beyond. Using the context of your own experiences, you will take part in reflections and small-group discussions to build on the skills and knowledge you have gained from your courses.

Join us for the next Symposium, in which we’ll share experiences from across the industry, inspiring real-time conversations about best practices, innovation, and the future of AI. You will support your coursework by applying your knowledge and experiences to some of the most pressing topics and trends in the field. By participating in relevant and engaging discussions, you will discover a variety of perspectives and build connections with your fellow participants from across a variety of industries.

All sessions are held on Zoom.

Future dates are subject to change. You may participate in as many sessions as you wish. Attending Symposium sessions is not required to successfully complete any certificate program. Once enrolled in your courses, you will receive information about upcoming events. Accessibility accommodations will be available upon request.