The AI Ethics Lab’s publications reflect national and international collaborations examining the ethical and legal implications of artificial intelligence across the AI lifecycle, from design and development to deployment, use, and monitoring.

Books & Edited Volumes

1. AI & Human Rights Index

Nathan C. Walker, Dirk Brand, Caitlin Corrigan, Georgina Curto Rex, Alexander Kriebitz, John Maldonado, Kanshukan Rajaratnam, Tanya de Villiers-Botha, and Hisham Zawil, eds. AI & Human Rights Index. New York: All Tech is Human; Camden, NJ: AI Ethics Lab at Rutgers University, 2026.

An interdisciplinary research initiative mapping the relationship between artificial intelligence and international human rights law across societal sectors. The AI & Human Rights Index is the result of an international collaboration among individual researchers affiliated with:

• • 1791 Delegates in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA;

• • Institute for Ethics in Artificial Intelligence at the Technical University of Munich, Germany;

• • School for Data Science and Computational Thinking at Stellenbosch University, South Africa;

• • Center for Applied Ethics at Stellenbosch University, South Africa;

• • United Nations University Institute in Macau, China; and 

• • Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

2. Moral Imagination: Our Ethical Odyssey from Smart to Wise AI

Nathan C. Walker, Moral Imagination: Our Ethical Odyssey from Smart to Wise AI (Forthcoming 2027).

This book argues that many harms caused by AI stem from a moral distance in decision-making that separates those who build and regulate AI systems from those affected by them. It introduces the practice of moral imagination: the ability to situate oneself within an ethical dilemma involving AI in order to understand competing points of view.

3. Declarations of Interdependence

Nathan C. Walker, ed., Declarations of Interdependence: 250 Voices to Reimagine America’s Founding Promises (Forthcoming 2027).

✦ Award: Winner of the 2027 Authoring Award as part of Rutgers University’s Open and Affordable Textbooks Program.

This documentary history reenvisions the Declaration of Independence (1776–2026) in light of its 250th anniversary. Drawing on landmark legal, political, and cultural texts from historically significant voices, the volume elevates both well-known figures and marginalized perspectives. It aims to help current and future generations reimagine America in light of 250 years of struggle for liberation, particularly for vulnerable populations.

Reports & Policy Documents

4. Executive Actions on AI

Nathan C. Walker, “AI Principles & U.S. Presidents: Executive Actions on Artificial Intelligence.” AI Ethics Lab, Rutgers University, Updated October 2, 2026.

✦ Award: The Kapor Foundation awarded Dr. Nathan C. Walker a 2026 Tech Policy Research Fellowship to advance his research on U.S. executive actions on artificial intelligence.

5. Aspen Digital’s Defining Technologies of Our Time

Nathan C. Walker, “National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020,” in B. Cavello, Eleanor Tursman, and Nicholas Garcia, eds. Defining Technologies of Our Time: Artificial Intelligence. Washington, DC: Aspen Institute, 2026.

This handbook examines how artificial intelligence is defined across U.S. law and policy, and why those definitions matter. Dr. Walker’s chapter shows that current federal law predates the public release of generative AI systems and that several agencies continue to rely on outdated definitions.

6. AI in Human Subjects Research

Megan Ringel, Michelle Watkinson, and Nathan C. Walker, AI in Human Subjects Research: Rutgers Consent Guide, Rutgers Office for Research. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University, January 2026.

Developed by contributors from Rutgers University’s Human Research Protection Program, Institutional Review Board, and the AI Ethics Lab, this guide helps researchers navigate the ethical and regulatory requirements of incorporating AI into human subjects research.

7. Human Rights in Global AI Ecosystems

Alexander Kriebitz and Caitlin C. Corrigan, eds. Promoting and Advancing Human Rights in Global AI Ecosystems: The Need for a Comprehensive Framework under International Law. Munich, Germany, February 20, 2025. With support from the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, the AI Ethics Lab at Rutgers University, the Responsible AI Network–Africa (RAIN-Africa), and the Globethics Foundation.

This report advocates for an international, human rights-focused convention on artificial intelligence, drawing on a collaboration among more than twenty researchers and experts worldwide committed to fostering global dialogue beyond institutional and political affiliations.

Journal Articles & Preprints

8. Young Adults and Substance Use-Related Information

Mireia Triguero Roura and Pia M. Mauro. “Use of Generative AI for Substance-Related Information Among Young Adults (Aged 18–29 Years) in the United States: Cross-Sectional Survey.” JMIR Formative Research 10 (2026): e100667.

One in three young adults reported using generative AI for substance-related information. This paper found that these young adults, ages 18 to 29, were mainly seeking information about substances, with higher prevalence among Black and male respondents. Their findings suggest that generative AI may be shaping the substance-use ecosystem among young adults and call for further research to understand its public health implications.

9. Chatbots and Child Safety

Michael Gentzel. “Chatbots and Child-Safety: A Philosophical Argument on the Risks, Harms, and Policy Proposals Regarding AI Chatbot Companions Used by Children in the United States.” AI and Ethics 6 (2026): 380.

Dr. Gentzel presents a novel philosophical analysis on the harmful effects of LLM AI chatbots (AI companions) used by children in the United States. He develops and defends The Consistency Argument for Protecting Children from AI Chatbots (The Argument from Consistency for short), which concludes that the government is justified in restricting children from using AI chatbot companions.

10. Discipline-Specific AI Ethics Literacy

Joanne Dera. “Developing Discipline-Specific AI Ethics Literacy in Science and Engineering: A Call for Faculty and Academic Librarian Collaboration.” Science & Technology Libraries (2025): 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/0194262X.2025.2606669

This review article examines recent scholarship on AI ethics education in science and engineering, including pedagogical approaches and assessment methods. It also encourages faculty to consider how academic librarians’ expertise in information literacy can strengthen AI ethics instruction.

11. Cultural Rights and the Rights to Development

Kriebitz, Alexander, Caitlin Corrigan, Aive Pevkur, Alberto Santos Ferro, Amanda Horzyk, Dirk Brand, Dohee Kim, Dodzi Koku Hattoh, Flavia Massucci, Gilles Fayad, Kamil Strzepek, Laud Ammah, Lavina Ramkissoon, Mariette Awad, Natalia Amasiadi, Nathan C. Walker, Nicole Manger, and Sophia Devlin. “Cultural Rights and the Rights to Development in the Age of AI: Implications for Global Human Rights Governance.” arXiv (preprint), December 15, 2025. arXiv:2512.15786. https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.15786

This paper examines how artificial intelligence can affect cultural rights and the right to development, with particular attention to assumptions embedded in AI design and deployment. It identifies gaps in current AI governance frameworks and contributes to ongoing conversations in AI ethics, international law, and global human rights governance.