Course Schedule

15-week timeline and important dates

Important Dates

  • First Day of Class: Wednesday, January 21, 2026
  • Midterm Exam: Wednesday, March 11, 2026
  • Midterm Project Due (Solo): Wednesday, March 25, 2026
  • Spring Break: March 16-20, 2026
  • Final Project Due (Group): Monday, May 4, 2026
  • Last Day of Class: Monday, May 4, 2026
  • Final Exam Period: May 7-14, 2026 (exact date TBD)

Course Structure

  • Section 1 - WHY: Ethics, Dangers, Society, and Accountability (Weeks 1-5)
  • Section 2 - WHAT: Technical and Operational Foundations and Vulnerabilities (Weeks 6-8)
  • Section 3 - HOW: Tools, Practices, Risk Management, and Governance (Weeks 9-13)
  • Section 4 - SYNTHESIS: Industry, Professionalism, and Final Project (Weeks 14-15)

Spring 2026 Schedule

Section 1 - WHY: Ethics, Dangers, Society, and Accountability

Week 1: Course Overview: Rationale for Secure & Trustworthy AI

  • Day 1 (Wed, Jan 21): 1.1 Course introduction and objectives

Week 2: Ethics, Values, and Human Impact of AI

  • Day 1 (Mon, Jan 26): 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1
  • Day 2 (Wed, Jan 28): Discussion

Week 3: AI Values, Human Rights, and Human-AI Collaboration

  • Day 1 (Mon, Feb 2): 2.2, 2.3
  • Day 2 (Wed, Feb 4): 2.4

Week 4: Potential Harms, Misuse, and the Alignment Problem

  • Day 1 (Mon, Feb 9): 3.1
  • Day 2 (Wed, Feb 11): 3.2, 3.3

Week 5: Regulatory and Legal Context for AI

  • Day 1 (Mon, Feb 16): 4.1, 4.2
  • Day 2 (Wed, Feb 18): 4.3, 4.4

Section 2 - WHAT: Technical and Operational Foundations and Vulnerabilities

Week 6: Biology, Neuroscience, and Psychology connections to AI/ML Systems, Lifecycles, and Security

  • Day 1 (Mon, Feb 23): 5.1
  • Day 2 (Wed, Feb 25): 5.2, 5.3

Week 7: AI/ML Attack Vectors

  • Day 1 (Mon, Mar 2): 6.1, 6.2
  • Day 2 (Wed, Mar 4): 6.3, 6.4

Week 8: Privacy, Bias, Transparency, and Explainability

  • Day 1 (Mon, Mar 9): 7.1, 7.2
  • Day 2 (Wed, Mar 11): 7.3, 7.4 | Midterm Exam

SPRING BREAK - March 16-20, 2026

No classes this week

Section 3 - HOW: Tools, Practices, Risk Management, and Governance

Week 9: Privacy-Enhancing and Security Technologies

  • Day 1 (Mon, Mar 23): 8.1, 8.2
  • Day 2 (Wed, Mar 25): 8.3, 8.4 | Midterm Project Due (Solo)

Week 10: Testing, Evaluation, and Red-Teaming

  • Day 1 (Mon, Mar 30): 9.1, 9.2
  • Day 2 (Wed, Apr 1): 9.3

Week 11: Building and Operationalizing Secure and Trustworthy AI/ML Systems

  • Day 1 (Mon, Apr 6): 10.1, 10.2, 10.3
  • Day 2 (Wed, Apr 8): 10.4, 10.5

Week 12: Risk Management and Crisis Response

  • Day 1 (Mon, Apr 13): 11.1, 11.2
  • Day 2 (Wed, Apr 15): 11.3, 11.4

Week 13: Independent Auditing, Documentation, and Disclosure

  • Day 1 (Mon, Apr 20): 12.1, 12.2
  • Day 2 (Wed, Apr 22): 12.3, 12.4

Section 4 - SYNTHESIS: Industry, Professionalism, and Final Project

Week 14: Industry Applications & Emerging Challenges

  • Day 1 (Mon, Apr 27): 13.1, 13.2
  • Day 2 (Wed, Apr 29): 13.3, 13.4

Week 15: Course Conclusion

  • Day 1 (Mon, May 4): 14.1-14.5, 15.1-15.3 | Final Project Due (Group)

Final Exam

Date TBD (during finals period: May 7-14, 2026)