Artificial Intelligence and Society 

This course contextualizes AI within cultural conversations, ethics, and power relationships in U.S. society. The recent rise of large language models has brought to the fore ethical questions surrounding machine learning. Drawing upon academic texts as well as news articles and other forms of media, this course will explore AI as it relates to topics such as surveillance, labor, bias, trust, regulation, and more. The focus will be on these topics in U.S. society, with relevant examples drawn from other societies. Sessions for this seminar-style course will involve frequent discussion as well as student presentations and guest lectures. A typical class will involve a pre-reading and journal entry before class, an instructor-led overview of the topic, an active learning activity in small groups, and a full-group discussion. The semester will culminate in an ethics module design project to be done in collaboration with Olin instructors for use in future courses. The course is limited to 15 people and we expect all students to actively participate and contribute.

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