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The most recent Interdisciplinary Ethics Tech Competition was held on Feb. 1, 2025. The event was a huge success! Please consider joining us in 2026! ÌýÌý

Event Summary

Held annually, theÌýInterdisciplinary Ethics Tech Competition gives students a chance to wrestleÌýwith a real-world ethicsÌýproblemÌýin collaboration with a diverse team of students studyingÌýlaw, business, communication, journalism, engineering, ITP, information science, orÌýcomputer science.Ìý Past case problems have featuredÌýa tech company grappling with ethical obligations related to its facial expression recognition product, and an online platform's efforts to address the challenges presented by "fake news."

The competition provides students with the unique opportunity to work as part of an interdisciplinary team on a problem involving ethical, legal, business, technology, and privacy issues similar to what they are likely to encounter after graduation. This hands-onÌýlearning experience prepares students to collaborateÌýeffectively across disciplines in their careers, and positions studentsÌýto be ethical members of business management teams.

Who MayÌýParticipate

The competition is open to graduate students at the ÌÒÉ«ÊÓƵ studying any relevant discipline,Ìýincluding law, business, communication, journalism, engineering, philosophy, ITP, information science, orÌýcomputer science.Ìý

Event Format

Participants are assigned to a team comprised of 3-5Ìýstudents representing different areas of study to maximize the breadthÌýof each team's knowledge and expertise.

Teams areÌýgiven the case problem approximately two weeks before the competition date.Ìý ÌýIn the process of researching the problemÌýand preparingÌýa response, team members may meet as many times as they choose and may consult with outside professionals. Students prepare both a live presentation andÌýa short, written executive summary of their recommendations.

On the day of the competition, each team presents itsÌýrecommendations to panels of judges who are selected for their expertise in the relevantÌýfields.

The five top-scoring teams from the initial rounds advance toÌýthe Finals Round, where the finalists give their presentations to a panel of judges, community members, and students in Wittemyer Courtroom. After the finalÌýpresentations, a networking and awards luncheon isÌýheld for competition participants, where the winning teams areÌýannounced. Monetary prizes are awarded to the top three highest-scoring teams.

Please clickÌýhereÌýfor a news article that provides a more detail description of the competition.Ìý

Highlights from the 2025 Competition

We hosted the ninth annual Interdisciplinary Ethics Tech Competition at Colorado Law on February 1, 2025. Graduate students on nine teams were positioned as hypothetical members of a consulting firm with expertise in business, law, ethics, technology, AI and engineering. The consultants were asked to advise a tech company specializing in autonomous aerial drones equipped with artificial intelligence, computer vision, and advanced facial recognition as the company considered whether to accept an incredibly lucrative - but potentially ethically problematic - proposal from the US Department of Defense for the use of its technology. Ìý ÌýÌý

ÌýThe three highest-scoring teams were as follows:

• 1stÌýPlace: Sydney Baker (Law, 1L); Dillon Liu (Law, 1L); Anna Rahn (Computer Science)
• 2nd Place: Adam Lipsius (Law, 1L); Jalynn Nicoly (Computer Science); Ella Peterson (Law, 1L); Kyla Plutte (Law, 1L)
• 3rd Place: Nipun Gogineni (Network Engineering); Sarah Hanson (Law, 1L); Caleb Kirk (Law, 1L); Abby Meyer (Law, 2L)

Highlights from the 2024ÌýCompetition

The eighth annualÌýInterdisciplinary Ethics Tech Competition was held at Colorado Law on February 3, 2024. Nine teams comprised of students from a range of academic disciplines competed as hypothetical colleagues tasked with advising their company's executive management on how the company should implement artificial intelligence for performance management among the company's U.S. employees. Students identified key issues and risks - ethical, practical, legal, and business-related - associated with using breakthrough AI technology for HR purposes.ÌýÌý

The three highest-scoring teams were as follows:

• 1stÌýPlace Team:ÌýEmilee Calvin (Law); CatieÌýPursifull (Law);ÌýSabrina Schatz (MENV); Sydney Zirbel (Business)
• 2nd Place Team: SanamÌýAnalouei (Law); Seth Guldin (Business); Emmeline Nettles (International Affairs); Isaac Ogundare (Law); Macarena Villagomez-Tapia (Law)
• 3rd Place Team: Matthew Alexander (Law); Steve Herlihy (Law); Victor Laudano (Law); JacobÌýWoodford (Law); Alden Zeff (Business)

Highlights from the 2023 Competition

In the 2023 competition, students collaborated to form a hypothetical task force testifying before a Congressional Committee to provide recommendations on how - if at all - the U.S. government should regulate deep fakes. They sought to answer the question: As viewers can no longer tell the difference between real and faked content, how do we draw the line to harness the beneficial aspects of this technology while protecting against harm?Ìý

Highlights from the 2022 Competition

In the 2022 competition, nine teams of students submitted video presentations detailing their proposals for a technologically sound contact-tracing program that could be used in the next public health crisis to safeguard public health while respecting individual privacy and balancing business, ethical and legal interests. Ìý

Securing the first place prize was the team consisting of: Landon Glover (Law), Austin Hayes (Engineering), Garrett Janney (Law) andÌýZac Salinger (Business)Ìý Ìý

Thank you to all of our participants and volunteer judges!

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The Interdisciplinary Ethics Tech Competition is co-hosted by the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program at Colorado Law, the Collegiate Program at the Leeds School of Business, and the Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship, in partnership with:

• Department of Computer Science
• Technology, Cybersecurity and Policy (TCP) Program
• College of Engineering and Applied Science
• Department of Information Science