Swedish web site
Critical Perspectives on AI2025VTFull
|
|
Course plan
No of lectures
6-8 seminars (exact number depends on number of participants)
Recommended for
The course is mainly intended for PhD students in cognitive science, computer science, design, and related disciplines (but see also Prerequisites below).
The course was last given
The course was last given autumn 2023.
Goals
The main goal is to familiarize students with critical perspectives addressing limitations, risks, misperceptions, etc. of AI research and technology.
Prerequisites
Some background in AI, HCI and/or cognitive science - and a strong interest in understanding societal implications of AI. The course does not necessarily require much technology/computing background, so PhD students interested in AI from the perspective of other research fields (e.g., science & technology studies, gender studies, or applications of AI in education, healthcare, etc.), are also very welcome.
Organization
The course mainly consists of discussion seminars and student presentations.
Contents
The course consists of:
- one introductory lecture/seminar that goes through 'old' (20th criticisms of
AI discussed in the 1960s-90s (e.g., frame problem, common sense problem,
symbol grounding problem), and
- 5-7 seminars discussing 5-7 recent books that address critical perspectives
on AI (see Literature for details).
Literature
The course literature mainly consists of 5-7 of the following books from the
last 5 years (2019-2024):
- Aylett & Vargas (2021). Living with Robots: What every anxious human needs
to know. MIT Press.
- Christian (2020). The Alignment Problem - Machine Learning and Human
Values. Norton & Company
- Crawford (2021). Atlas of AI: Power, politics, and the planetary costs of
artificial intelligence. Yale University Press.
- Larson (2021). The Myth of Artificial Intelligence: Why computers can't
think the way we do. Harvard University Press.
- Russell (2019). Human Compatible: Artificial intelligence and the problem
of control. Viking Press.
- Smith (2019). The Promise of Artificial Intelligence: Reckoning and
judgement. MIT Press.
- Strengers & Kennedy (2020). The Smart Wife: Why Siri, Alexa, and other
smart home devices need a feminist reboot. MIT Press.
- Zweig (2022). Awkward Intelligence: Where AI goes wrong, why it matters,
and what we can do about it. MIT Press.
NB: The list above is based on the autumn 2023 edition of the
course and might be updated with new books, given that AI has been a very
quickly evolving research field in recent years.
Lecturers
Tom Ziemke
Examiner
Tom Ziemke
Examination
Mandatory student presentations, active participation in seminar discussions, and some written coursework.
Credit
6 hp
Comments
The course can be given in Zoom if there are non-local participants. Most seminars will take place on Friday afternoons.
Page responsible: Anne Moe
