The Institute for Ethics in AI is pleased to announce the launch of its new executive education offer, the Oxford Executive Programme in Ethical AI Leadership.
A three-day residential executive programme taking place in Oxford from 10–12 November 2026, the initiative is designed for senior leaders faced with consequential decisions about how artificial intelligence (AI) is deployed, governed and explained within organisations and public life.
The hardest decisions about AI are not purely technical. They are decisions about power, values and responsibility. Grounded in the independent research of Oxford's Institute for Ethics in AI, the programme equips senior leaders with the core concepts needed to steer ethical AI strategies with confidence and integrity.
The programme is designed to strengthen judgement: helping leaders recognise the values embedded in AI systems, interrogate claims made about them and translate ethical responsibility into action.
Programme structure and benefits
This three-day programme is not designed to turn executives into engineers, or ethics into a checklist. It is designed to give senior leaders greater clarity and confidence when making consequential decisions about AI.
After attending the course, participants will be able to:
- See the ethical stakes clearly: Distinguish technical, legal, commercial and ethical questions and understand where they overlap.
- Interrogate power and values: Identify whose interests, assumptions and values shape AI systems and the decisions made with them.
- Lead beyond compliance: Evaluate governance and regulation as necessary foundations, while recognising where responsible leadership demands more.
- Make better institutional decisions: Ask sharper questions of technical, legal and policy teams; surface trade-offs; and strengthen accountability.
The cohort experience
Participants will learn alongside a select cross-sector cohort of like-minded decision-makers, exchanging perspectives in an environment built for candid reflection and high-level debate.
Participants do not need a technical background. What matters is seniority, curiosity and meaningful responsibility for decisions involving AI. To ensure depth of discussion, the cohort is limited to 20 participants. The residential format enables conversations to continue across seminars, meals and a curated Oxford experience, creating the conditions for candour, challenge and lasting professional relationships.
Applications for the inaugural November 2026 cohort are now open. We encourage applications as soon as possible, as places are limited.