Ethical Governance & Risk in Agentic AI is an intermediate-level course designed for professionals who need to navigate the complex landscape of autonomous AI systems while ensuring ethical compliance and responsible deployment. As AI systems become increasingly autonomous, traditional governance approaches break down, creating new categories of risk and accountability challenges. This course equips learners with practical frameworks to assess AI autonomy levels, design adaptive compliance strategies, and build scalable governance structures. Through real-world case studies from IBM, UC Berkeley, and Harvard Business Review, learners explore both the opportunities and risks of agentic AI systems. The course emphasizes practical implementation, providing tools and templates that can be immediately applied in organizational settings. By the end, learners will be able to build comprehensive governance frameworks that balance innovation with responsibility, ensuring AI systems serve human values while driving competitive advantage.
Enjoy unlimited growth with a year of Coursera Plus for $199 (regularly $399). Save now.
Recommended experience
Skills you'll gain
Details to know
Add to your LinkedIn profile
December 2025
See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills
There are 3 modules in this course
In this foundational lesson, learners will explore the evolution of AI autonomy and examine how autonomous agents make decisions. They'll analyze the ethical implications of AI decision-making, understand the spectrum of agent autonomy, and evaluate real-world cases where AI autonomy has created both opportunities and challenges. Through IBM's perspective on agentic AI risks and UC Berkeley's analysis, learners will develop a framework for assessing agent autonomy levels.
What's included
4 videos2 readings1 assignment
This lesson guides learners through the process of creating comprehensive compliance strategies that ensure AI systems align with ethical standards and regulatory requirements. Learners will explore current regulatory frameworks, design compliance strategies that balance innovation with responsibility, and examine how leading organizations navigate complex regulatory landscapes. They'll develop skills to create frameworks that ensure responsible AI deployment while maintaining competitive advantage. All of this Through practical exercises and real-world case studies,
What's included
3 videos1 reading1 assignment
In this culminating lesson, learners will develop comprehensive skills for evaluating AI risks and implementing robust governance frameworks. They'll learn to assess both technical and ethical risks in AI systems, design governance structures that can evolve with changing technologies and regulations, and create accountability mechanisms that ensure responsible AI deployment. Through hands-on activities and real-world case studies, learners will build practical frameworks they can immediately apply in their organizations.
What's included
4 videos1 reading3 assignments
Instructor
Offered by
Why people choose Coursera for their career
Open new doors with Coursera Plus
Unlimited access to 10,000+ world-class courses, hands-on projects, and job-ready certificate programs - all included in your subscription
Advance your career with an online degree
Earn a degree from world-class universities - 100% online
Join over 3,400 global companies that choose Coursera for Business
Upskill your employees to excel in the digital economy
Frequently asked questions
To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.
More questions
Financial aid available,
¹ Some assignments in this course are AI-graded. For these assignments, your data will be used in accordance with Coursera's Privacy Notice.