SERC Learning Labs
Who is responsible when AI makes mistakes? Is it okay for governments and private companies to collect our biometrics? Do algorithmic decision-making technologies create more or less fairness?
The SERC Learning Lab at the Schwarzman College of Computing invites participants to hone their knowledge and inquiry skills in computing ethics, all while studying the social impacts of technologies they care about. Over the course of a 10-week program, participants will engage in thoughtful discussions on the ethics and implications of AI, and complete a capstone project on a related topic of their choosing. This program is only open to MIT undergraduates.
Applications are now open. The submission deadline is September 21, 2025, 11:59 pm.
Program Details & Benefits
In 10 group meetings during the fall semester, students will read about and discuss major issues in computing, ethics, and society. They will also hear from key experts in the field and complete individual capstone projects on a technology of their choice. Participants will gain inquiry skills that will prepare them for future coursework and research in technology ethics and beyond.
SERC Learning Lab group meetings take place in person on Tuesdays, 3:00-4:00pm, between September 30 and December 9, 2025.
Week-to-week students will discuss urgent ethical dilemmas about innovations in computing. We will put these dilemmas in their social and historical contexts, and consider perspectives from a range of disciplines. Topics can include generative AI, the future of work, algorithmic bias, surveillance, deep fakes, computing in healthcare, hacking, and military technologies.
Students will each choose a technology to deeply explore throughout the semester as part of the individual capstone project. Participants will also build crucial skills – from developing research questions to conducting their own literature review, interpreting and analyzing research across disciplines, and effectively communicating their ideas.
What other SERC activities are available to SERC Learning Labs participants?
- Regular lunches and talks with the SERC Scholars community.
- Meet-and-greets with pioneering leaders from academia, industry, and the public sectors.
- SERC seminars that occur twice a semester.
Who is eligible to apply?
SERC Learning Labs are geared toward undergraduate students who are new to computing ethics and who want to become more acquainted with the social implications of the technologies we study and create at MIT.
This program is especially suitable for first years and other students who want to gain inquiry skills that will prepare them for future research in technology ethics and across disciplines. SERC Learning Labs work well as a complement to introductory coursework in Course 6.
Only MIT undergraduate students are eligible. This is an hourly paid position for up to 5 hours per week for the semester. Compensation is $16 per hour.
Information about SERC Learning Lab for International students
Student visa regulations limit international students pursuing on-campus employment to a maximum of 20 hours per week during the fall and spring terms (as well as during IAP and summer, if your academic program has required coursework during those traditional vacation periods). It will be important to determine before applying if you will be eligible to pursue the additional on-campus employment hours based on your current on-campus employment commitments so that you are within the maximum hour limits allowed by regulation.
If you have any questions, please contact the International Student’s Office.