AI ethics thought leadership — essays, podcast, and resources exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence and human values.https://angelevan.com/https://angelevan.com/blog/philippa-foot/https://angelevan.com/blog/philippa-foot/This interview with philosopher Philippa Foot explores her journey in moral philosophy, her opposition to subjectivism, and her development of a theory of "natural goodness."Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMTcommentaryPhilosophyInterviewFoothttps://angelevan.com/blog/epistemic-debt-how-performed-competence-sustains-ai-productivity-gains-by-depreciating-human-value/https://angelevan.com/blog/epistemic-debt-how-performed-competence-sustains-ai-productivity-gains-by-depreciating-human-value/A draft of the newest research initiative I'm considering.Mon, 23 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMTresearchabstractresearchjobshttps://angelevan.com/blog/what-is-the-distinction-between-ethics-and-morality/https://angelevan.com/blog/what-is-the-distinction-between-ethics-and-morality/A short commentary of the differences and relationship between two of the biggest concepts in normative ethics.Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMTcommentaryethicsmoralitydefinitionshttps://angelevan.com/blog/the-four-modes-of-the-ai-ethicist-practitioner/https://angelevan.com/blog/the-four-modes-of-the-ai-ethicist-practitioner/Ever wonder what an AI Ethicist actually does? Read this article on four core job functions and the skills required to perform these tasks.Thu, 07 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMTcommentarycareerjobhttps://angelevan.com/blog/what-simone-de-beauvoir-s-1949-philosophy-teaches-us-about-effective-ai-governance/https://angelevan.com/blog/what-simone-de-beauvoir-s-1949-philosophy-teaches-us-about-effective-ai-governance/The dangers of falling into the trap of compartmentalization based on Simone de Beauvoir's philosophy.Thu, 03 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMTcommentarygovernancedangerhttps://angelevan.com/blog/marks-received-for-thesis/https://angelevan.com/blog/marks-received-for-thesis/Receiving an 80/100 on my master’s thesis at Edinburgh — what distinction means at the graduate level, the feedback I received, and what it taught me about the difference between completion and contribution.Tue, 15 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMTedinburghedinburghthesisacademiahttps://angelevan.com/blog/year-2-begins/https://angelevan.com/blog/year-2-begins/Reflections on beginning the second year of the AI Ethics programme, with fewer courses but the added challenge of a full research dissertation.Mon, 09 Sep 2024 00:00:00 GMTedinburghthesiscourseworkai-ethicsacademic-lifehttps://angelevan.com/blog/thesis-completion-submission/https://angelevan.com/blog/thesis-completion-submission/Submitting my MSc thesis proposing ETHICA — a poly-ethical decision-making framework that repositions AI ethics from compliance to competency — and reflecting on whether to pursue a PhD.Thu, 15 Aug 2024 00:00:00 GMTedinburghedinburghthesisacademiapersonalhttps://angelevan.com/blog/thesis-development-advisor-meeting-2/https://angelevan.com/blog/thesis-development-advisor-meeting-2/Lessons from my second thesis advisor meeting — on academic writing, proportionate argumentation, and the risk of oversimplifying normative ethical theory.Sat, 15 Jun 2024 00:00:00 GMTedinburghedinburghthesisacademiaphilosophyhttps://angelevan.com/blog/algorithmic-fairness-bias-and-justice/https://angelevan.com/blog/algorithmic-fairness-bias-and-justice/Reflections on a final paper examining Ofqual’s A-Level grading algorithm and the broader lessons of algorithmic fairness in education.Sun, 05 May 2024 00:00:00 GMTedinburghalgorithmic-biasfairnessmachine-learningeducationhttps://angelevan.com/blog/ethical-data-futures/https://angelevan.com/blog/ethical-data-futures/End-of-semester reflections on the Ethical Data Futures course, covering six core ethical data skills and the importance of moving beyond personal perspectives in ethics.Sun, 28 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMTedinburghdata-ethicsethical-reasoningcritical-thinkingcourseworkhttps://angelevan.com/blog/education-personalisation-and-surveillance/https://angelevan.com/blog/education-personalisation-and-surveillance/Reflections on my final coursework at Edinburgh — the false promise of personalized learning, the ethics of data collection on children, and the marginalization of teachers through AI augmentation.Mon, 15 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMTedinburghedinburgheducationsurveillanceacademiahttps://angelevan.com/blog/intensive-day-1-algorithmic-bias-fairness-and-justice/https://angelevan.com/blog/intensive-day-1-algorithmic-bias-fairness-and-justice/Key takeaways from the first eight-hour intensive on algorithmic bias, including the black-chain framework, definitions of bias, and approaches to fairness.Thu, 21 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMTedinburghalgorithmic-biasfairnessmachine-learningintensiveshttps://angelevan.com/blog/representing-data/https://angelevan.com/blog/representing-data/A course on data visualization that changed how I think about what we choose to show — and what we leave out. From sketches to Python, with ethical implications throughout.Thu, 15 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMTedinburghedinburghdatavisualizationacademiahttps://angelevan.com/blog/a-new-direction/https://angelevan.com/blog/a-new-direction/Announcing a change in thesis direction, shifting from a deontological rules-and-tools approach to responsible AI toward a virtue ethics framework that treats ethics as a skillset.Tue, 13 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMTedinburghthesisvirtue-ethicsresponsible-aiethics-as-skillsethttps://angelevan.com/blog/translational-ethics/https://angelevan.com/blog/translational-ethics/Exploring translational data and AI ethics, including how ethical values are communicated across technology stakeholders and the role of ethnography in understanding technology creation.Tue, 30 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMTedinburghtranslational-ethicsethnographyai-ethicscourseworkhttps://angelevan.com/blog/data-ethics-as-a-practice-intensives/https://angelevan.com/blog/data-ethics-as-a-practice-intensives/Five key takeaways from two days of intensives on data ethics, covering value-laden data, dataset bias, AI ethics specializations, and the contextual nature of bias.Tue, 23 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMTedinburghdata-ethicsintensivesbiasai-ethicshttps://angelevan.com/blog/thesis-development-advisor-meeting-1/https://angelevan.com/blog/thesis-development-advisor-meeting-1/My first thesis advisor meeting at Edinburgh — adopting a poly-ethical approach, the MVP strategy for academic work, and the birth of the Ethical Debugging concept.Mon, 15 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMTedinburghedinburghthesisphilosophyacademiahttps://angelevan.com/blog/ethics-as-a-skillset-an-alternative-approach-to-responsible-ai/https://angelevan.com/blog/ethics-as-a-skillset-an-alternative-approach-to-responsible-ai/A thesis proposal for shifting responsible AI from a deontological rules-based approach to a virtue ethics framework that cultivates ethics as a skillset over time.Tue, 02 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMTedinburghvirtue-ethicsresponsible-aithesisethics-as-skillsetdeontologyhttps://angelevan.com/blog/model-cards/https://angelevan.com/blog/model-cards/An overview of Model Cards for Model Reporting, a standardized documentation approach for machine learning models that promotes transparency, fairness, and explainability.Wed, 27 Dec 2023 00:00:00 GMTedinburghmodel-cardstransparencymachine-learningdocumentationhttps://angelevan.com/blog/the-ethics-of-ai-ethics-an-evaluation-of-guidelines-thilo-hagendorff/https://angelevan.com/blog/the-ethics-of-ai-ethics-an-evaluation-of-guidelines-thilo-hagendorff/A review of Hagendorff’s paper examining whether ethical guidelines actually influence human decision-making, concluding they do not, and why virtue ethics may be a better approach.Thu, 21 Dec 2023 00:00:00 GMTedinburghai-ethicsethical-guidelinesvirtue-ethicsdeontologyhttps://angelevan.com/blog/thoughts-on-immanuel-kants-categorical-imperative-and-comparing-moral-absolutism-vs-utilitarianism/https://angelevan.com/blog/thoughts-on-immanuel-kants-categorical-imperative-and-comparing-moral-absolutism-vs-utilitarianism/An exploration of Kant’s categorical imperative and moral absolutism as a lens for examining the shortcomings of utilitarianism in ethical decision-making.Sat, 16 Dec 2023 00:00:00 GMTedinburghkantutilitarianismmoral-philosophydeontologyethicshttps://angelevan.com/blog/new-podcast-machines-meaning/https://angelevan.com/blog/new-podcast-machines-meaning/How a course assignment turned into a passion project — creating a podcast that examines AI through the lens of different philosophers.Fri, 15 Dec 2023 00:00:00 GMTedinburghedinburghpodcastphilosophypersonalhttps://angelevan.com/blog/end-of-semester-1/https://angelevan.com/blog/end-of-semester-1/End-of-semester reflections on five courses covering AI ethics, law, governance, democracy, data science, interdisciplinary thinking, and project planning.Sun, 10 Dec 2023 00:00:00 GMTedinburghcourseworkreflectionai-ethicsdata-scienceinterdisciplinaryhttps://angelevan.com/blog/the-process-of-developing-an-argument/https://angelevan.com/blog/the-process-of-developing-an-argument/A creative writing exercise on the process of constructing an academic argument, exploring thesis development and the role of examples in supporting a claim.Sat, 25 Nov 2023 00:00:00 GMTedinburghacademic-writingargumentationcritical-thinkingcourseworkhttps://angelevan.com/blog/new-paradigms-in-ethics/https://angelevan.com/blog/new-paradigms-in-ethics/A deep dive into Alasdair MacIntyre’s moral philosophy at Edinburgh — on tradition as the embodiment of values, the role of virtues, and questions that shaped my thesis.Wed, 15 Nov 2023 00:00:00 GMTedinburghedinburghphilosophyacademiahttps://angelevan.com/blog/when-should-we-start-treating-private-companies-more-like-public-entities/https://angelevan.com/blog/when-should-we-start-treating-private-companies-more-like-public-entities/Exploring the argument that private companies should be treated like public entities when they reach ubiquity and essentially function as public utilities.Thu, 09 Nov 2023 00:00:00 GMTedinburghregulationbig-techpublic-policycorporate-ethicshttps://angelevan.com/blog/normative-ethics-for-ai/https://angelevan.com/blog/normative-ethics-for-ai/An exploration of normative ethics and its potential application to AI, questioning whether we can establish baselines of normal and outlying behavior for artificial intelligence.Tue, 31 Oct 2023 00:00:00 GMTedinburghnormative-ethicsmoral-philosophyai-ethicscourseworkhttps://angelevan.com/blog/reflection-on-data-and-artificial-intelligence-ethicsreflection-on/https://angelevan.com/blog/reflection-on-data-and-artificial-intelligence-ethicsreflection-on/A pivotal reflection on the realization that ethics alone has limited power without enforcement mechanisms, and how this reframing transformed an understanding of AI ethics.Wed, 25 Oct 2023 00:00:00 GMTedinburghai-ethicslawgovernancereflectioncourseworkhttps://angelevan.com/blog/draft-proposal-for-intervention/https://angelevan.com/blog/draft-proposal-for-intervention/A draft proposal for an intervention designed to help creative professionals reskill and avoid AI-related job displacement, drawing on personal experience as a Creative Director.Thu, 19 Oct 2023 00:00:00 GMTedinburghinterventioncreative-industryai-displacementreskillinghttps://angelevan.com/blog/readings-from-ethics-of-robotics-and-autonomous-systems/https://angelevan.com/blog/readings-from-ethics-of-robotics-and-autonomous-systems/Halfway through readings on robot ethics — on autonomy’s effect on work ethic, whether robots deserve rights, and the outsourcing of moral responsibility.Sun, 15 Oct 2023 00:00:00 GMTedinburghedinburghroboticsphilosophyacademiahttps://angelevan.com/blog/day-35-the-first-case-study/https://angelevan.com/blog/day-35-the-first-case-study/Reflections on a case study involving Thames Valley Police and AI-based call classification, highlighting the value of multidisciplinary analysis through legal, policy, and ethical lenses.Thu, 12 Oct 2023 00:00:00 GMTedinburghcase-studygdprai-actmultidisciplinarylawhttps://angelevan.com/blog/day-20-optimizing-to-human-rights-over-innovation/https://angelevan.com/blog/day-20-optimizing-to-human-rights-over-innovation/A critique of the ‘Innovation First’ approach to AI, arguing that human rights should take precedence over innovation when the two are in tension.Sun, 01 Oct 2023 00:00:00 GMTedinburghhuman-rightsinnovationai-regulationeu-ai-actpolicyhttps://angelevan.com/blog/day-21-the-individual-vs-the-group/https://angelevan.com/blog/day-21-the-individual-vs-the-group/Exploring the question of whether a group can be harmed without an individual being harmed, and the implications for group privacy protections.Thu, 28 Sep 2023 00:00:00 GMTedinburghprivacygroup-rightsdata-protectionethicshttps://angelevan.com/blog/day-17-research-ethics/https://angelevan.com/blog/day-17-research-ethics/An overview of Edinburgh’s approach to research ethics, covering guiding principles for ethical research conduct from conception through dissemination.Wed, 27 Sep 2023 00:00:00 GMTedinburghresearch-ethicsacademic-researchdata-collectioncourseworkhttps://angelevan.com/blog/day-12-interdisciplinary-futures/https://angelevan.com/blog/day-12-interdisciplinary-futures/An introduction to the Interdisciplinary Futures course at Edinburgh Futures Institute, exploring how ethics is inherently interdisciplinary and what the course aims to develop in students.Thu, 21 Sep 2023 00:00:00 GMTedinburghinterdisciplinarycourseworkdesign-thinkingcollaborationhttps://angelevan.com/blog/day-14-multidisciplinary-vs-interdisciplinary-vs-transdisciplinary/https://angelevan.com/blog/day-14-multidisciplinary-vs-interdisciplinary-vs-transdisciplinary/Understanding the differences between multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary approaches, and why interdisciplinarity is central to the Edinburgh Futures Institute.Thu, 21 Sep 2023 00:00:00 GMTedinburghinterdisciplinarycollaborationmethodologycourseworkhttps://angelevan.com/blog/day-10-pre-reading-begins/https://angelevan.com/blog/day-10-pre-reading-begins/First impressions of the diverse reading materials in the data ethics programme, including key takeaways from Shannon Vallor’s ‘An Introduction to Data Ethics.'Mon, 18 Sep 2023 00:00:00 GMTedinburghreadingdata-ethicsshannon-vallorcourseworkhttps://angelevan.com/blog/day-9-lessons-learned-in-edinburgh/https://angelevan.com/blog/day-9-lessons-learned-in-edinburgh/Early reflections on the programme — why ethics needs alliances, the power of virtue ethics, and growing market demand for AI ethicists.Sun, 17 Sep 2023 00:00:00 GMTedinburghethicsvirtue-ethicspolicycareerhttps://angelevan.com/blog/day-7-touring-the-new-building/https://angelevan.com/blog/day-7-touring-the-new-building/Exploring the Edinburgh Futures Institute’s home in the renovated Old Royal Infirmary — where centuries-old stone meets contemporary design.Fri, 15 Sep 2023 00:00:00 GMTedinburghedinburghEFIcampusarchitecturehttps://angelevan.com/blog/white-lies-on-silver-tongues/https://angelevan.com/blog/white-lies-on-silver-tongues/Examining the academic argument for robot deception — when bullshitting serves benevolent goals, and what ethical frameworks we embed when we permit machines to lie.Fri, 15 Sep 2023 00:00:00 GMTedinburghedinburghroboticsphilosophyacademiahttps://angelevan.com/blog/day-5-picking-courses/https://angelevan.com/blog/day-5-picking-courses/Choosing electives for the MSc programme — balancing interest with long-term professional goals and being kind to my future self.Wed, 13 Sep 2023 00:00:00 GMTedinburghedinburghcoursesprogrammeplanninghttps://angelevan.com/blog/day-2-welcome-to-edinburgh-futures-institute/https://angelevan.com/blog/day-2-welcome-to-edinburgh-futures-institute/Induction day at EFI — meeting peers from 40 countries, learning about the Futures Cone, and understanding the programme’s philosophy of navigating complexity.Tue, 12 Sep 2023 00:00:00 GMTedinburghedinburghEFIinterdisciplinaryfutureshttps://angelevan.com/blog/day-4-the-meeting-with-shannon-vallor/https://angelevan.com/blog/day-4-the-meeting-with-shannon-vallor/Meeting the Director of the Data & AI Ethics programme and discovering how virtue ethics reframes the way we think about technology.Tue, 12 Sep 2023 00:00:00 GMTedinburghshannon-vallorvirtue-ethicsAI-ethicsmentorshiphttps://angelevan.com/blog/day-1-welcome-to-edinburgh/https://angelevan.com/blog/day-1-welcome-to-edinburgh/First impressions of Edinburgh — from Holyrood Palace to Scottish comfort food at Makars Gourmet Mash Bar.Sun, 10 Sep 2023 00:00:00 GMTedinburghedinburgharrivalculturehttps://angelevan.com/blog/labeling-yourself-an-ai-optimist-or-ai-pessimist-means-you-ve-already-chosen-a-side-its-too-early-for-that/https://angelevan.com/blog/labeling-yourself-an-ai-optimist-or-ai-pessimist-means-you-ve-already-chosen-a-side-its-too-early-for-that/Why it's important to remain neutral and objective in the early days of AI developmentWed, 30 Aug 2023 00:00:00 GMTcommentaryoptimistpessimisthttps://angelevan.com/blog/do-we-have-an-ethical-responsibility-to-make-job-descriptions-more-inclusive/https://angelevan.com/blog/do-we-have-an-ethical-responsibility-to-make-job-descriptions-more-inclusive/A look at how the language we use in job descriptions leads can be anything but inclusive.Tue, 10 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMTessayjobcareerinclusivity