Dr. Nathan C. Walker gave an invited talk on Ethical Decision-Making for Communicators to graduate students enrolled in Columbia University School of Professional Studies’ M.S. Strategic Communication program.
In Roberto Lara Aranda’s Ethical Decision-Making for Communicators class, students welcomed the Rev. Dr. Nathan C. Walker, public ethicist, author, Executive Director of 1791 Delegates, Principal Investigator of the AI Ethics Lab at Rutgers University, and proud Columbia University alum, for an engaging and timely lecture on the moral dimensions of leadership, AI, and strategic communication.
Dr. Walker invited students to reflect on what it means to lead ethically in an age of innovation and disruption — an era often marked by moral distance between those who design technology and those affected by it. He introduced the concept of moral imagination, encouraging students to situate themselves within ethical dilemmas to understand multiple perspectives and bridge divides through empathy.
Drawing from his work at the AI Ethics Lab, Dr. Walker also explored the need for culturally informed AI, sustained ethical ecosystems, and the pursuit of “wise AI”-technology that advances human flourishing.
The class is taught by Lecturer Roberto Lara-Aranda, M.S.; and Anna Karp, Course Associate in the Strategic Communication program.