Current Trends in AI: Problems and Projects
This course explores the nature of current developments in artificial intelligence and how they present challenges and opportunities in ways they are transforming the world. We will adopt a broad definition of AI that includes everything from simple thermostats to the most advanced machine learning systems and we will look at ways these are altering life processes in the natural world and institutions throughout society.
Course goals are: 1.) to advance understandings of different programming principles, research and development strategies and underlying philosophical assumptions guiding development in such technologies; 2.) to develop abilities to use interdisciplinary[, problem centered approaches to understand the distinctions between complicated and wicked problems associated with rapid technological change in this area and key approaches to dealing with them; 2.) to cultivate skills in working collaboratively on problem-centered studies as well as programming projects that deal with AI in areas of student interest, 4.) to develop meta-cognitive abilities to learn these kinds of material in groups as well as on your own.
A major part of the course for each student will be a term project which can be pursued either individually or collaboratively. It may take a variety of forms including, for instance: 1.) a ?F?utures ?S?tudies investigation using methods of historical and/or social science research culminating in a report on some emerging, AI-related social or environmental concern; 2.) a computer programming project that solves a practical problem, is conducive to artistic expression, performs scientific analysis of quantitative data, or demonstrates an established or experimental feature of an ML or otherwise AI system; 3.) a philosophical and/or theoretical critical analysis of underlying concepts, values or assumptions that are at stake in the emerging AI technologies.
Readings will include some classic texts in AI theory, philosophy, and futures studies as well as selections from standard texts on AI programming. We will also use podcasts, films, and other media to pursue key topics and trends. There will be a series of short programming activities to study basic principles and try modeling aspects of more complicated and/or complex systems. These will be done, at least initially, in block coding which will be accessible to students without any previous programming experience and which allows people to see how this translates into other languages such as C or Python.[ We will examine the ways in which they can be coded in Python and students familiar with that or other languages will be able to pursue homework and final project work in whatever language they may prefer. We will also explore methods of prompt engineering for working with emerging systems that have dialogical interfaces.
The course will include two weekly class sessions as well as a lab. Class sessions will vary in format from extended discussion of texts and problems to supplementary lecture, visiting speaker, collaborative coding activities and extended project work. The class as a group will develop at least one major hackathon style project as a way of exploring key issues and developing key skills.
Evaluation will be based on the extent to which students demonstrate in homework, class participation and individual projects that they have advanced in each of the four main goals for the course.
This class will be especially well suited for students who want to continue computer assisted research, art work, coding or other projects they previously explored in other classes.