"The Law" for mathematicians (EiM 5)

Speaker: Maurice Chiodo, Centre for the Study of Existential Risk
Series: C.U. Ethics in Mathematics Society (CUEiMS)

Mathematical work in industry is now very close to its tangible impact, and such outputs are now extremely quick and easy to implement, with impacts that are amplified by modern computational processes. But with such great power comes great responsibility, and so various aspects of criminal, civil, and moral accountability can quickly come in to play for those carrying out such work. This lecture looks at how mathematicians can learn just how close they now sit to the applications of their work, and associated accountability mechanisms they may face even in circumstances where they were `just following orders'. It shows how there are things mathematicians are, and aren't, legally (or morally) allowed to do, and how they can change course to avoid consequences in the courts of justice and of public opinion for falling foul of such expectations.

This is the third seminar of the 2026 Introduction to Ethics in Mathematics seminar series hosted by the CU Ethics in Mathematics Society. The lecture will be followed by discussion.