Offered at McGill University

Semester: Fall 2026

Instructor: AJung Moon

Office Hours: by appointment only

Course Credit: 4 credits (graduate students only)

Expected course work outside of the lecture hours: 12 hours/week

Prerequisite: None

Lecture Format: In person by default with a few exceptions (e.g., remote talks/guest lectures)

Lecture Time: 10:05 am – 11:25 am on Tues and Thurs

Tutorial: None

NOTE: In the event of extraordinary circumstances beyond the University’s control, the content and/or evaluation scheme in this course is subject to change.

About the course

Large AI models are starting to trickle into the robotics domain. Under the guise of “physical AI,” these AI-powered robots are promised to enable natural human-robot interaction, robots that can do many things or built to be “general purpose.” But what does it mean to integrate these new types of AI into robots? What design, deployment, and governance considerations should be taken into account in order for us to practice responsible robotics?

This colloquium is designed for students wishing to become the next generation of responsible robotics practitioners. We will explore the rapidly changing domain together. Along the way, we will learn how robots aren’t simply an AI with a physical embodiment, what the latest findings from the domain of human-robot interaction has to teach us, and what issues are new because of the changing technological landscape.

The course is designed to be engaging and interactive. It includes seminar talks given by guest speakers, lectures by the instructor, and student-led activities. By the end of the course, students will be expected to have an understanding of AI-powered robotics and human-robot interaction, and have a working knowledge of the role that responsible roboticists can play in both the AI and robotics industries.

Learning outcomes

• A practical understanding of the role large AI models play in robotics
• Ability to identify sociotechnical issues specific to AI-powered robotic systems
• Ability to communicate responsible robotics issues to clearly and effectively to multi-stakeholder groups
• Ability to ideate sociotechnical solutions to responsible robotics issues given the rapid pace of the domain

Course text and references

As a seminar course meant to encourage exploration of responsible robotics and related topics across disciplines, this course does not have a designated textbook. Rather, there are reading assignments related to different discussion items we will delve into.