Spotlight: INFO 4871 special topics course, AI and Society
Aiden Dowling, an information science major, met with Casey Fiesler [INFO faculty] to learn more about INFO 4871. The AI and Society special topics course will be INFO 1511: AI and Society in fall 2026.
How does this course plan to educate undergrads on the impact of AI?
AI is already shaping a lot of things about our lives, from social feeds to job prospects, and the more you understand about it, the better equipped you are to make informed choices about how to react. This course is also designed to be valuable for both students who love using generative AI tools and those who are actively avoiding them.
What are some key takeaways from this course undergrads should be aware of before enrolling?
The course is about what AI actually is, how we got here, and where we're going. This includes what you need to know about how generative AI actually works in order to understand its limitations, as well as how it's impacting everything from jobs to creativity to the environment to learning. We also talk a lot about current events!
What type of student do you see benefiting the most from this course?
We're all being impacted by AI right now, and most people - including many who are actively making decisions about AI - don't have a solid grasp of what it can and can't do. Understanding AI itself as well as its ethical implications and impacts is what everyone needs to be able to make informed, responsible decisions about how to engage with it or just how to exist around it.
What do you hope students will learn after completing this course?
One of the goals of this course is for students to develop their own personal values and boundaries around whether and how they will use generative AI tools in aspects of their own lives - and these are likely decisions they will be making in their coursework, jobs, and other aspects of life moving forward.
Can you give a brief overview of what undergrads will learn from this course?
I really hope that students feel informed in a really practical way - people who can ask critical questions, cut through hype, and make informed decisions. And considering that starting next year this class is likely to be mostly non-majors, I hope that they come out of it wanting to learn more about AI through the perspective of Information Science.
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