In Winter 2019, I am co-teaching one course: “Social and Political Implications of Artificial Intelligence.” 

Here’s a good description of what we’ll be doing (from this site):

We have seen exponential growth in the automation of jobs, from the manufacturing to the service sector, and the consequent transformations of our everyday lives, including the displacement of human labour. We are also witness to new cultural forms ranging from gaming devices to companion robots. It’s clear then that the socio-cultural and political impacts of such trends deserve our attention — as students, scholars, policy makers, and practitioners.

The Global Engagement Seminar invites senior undergraduates (third- and fourth-year students) from any faculty or affiliated college to apply now for its Winter ARTS 490 course on the Social and Political Implications of Artificial Intelligence.

Students will have the unique opportunity to interact with leading AI practitioners, David Jones and Mimi Onuoha (Jarislowsky Fellows). David Jones is the Executive Producer at Microsoft’s Envisioning Center, which is involved with foresight and digital storytelling about the future of work and productivity. Mimi Onuoha is a renowned New York artist and coder who is currently involved in a series of arts installations, entitled “Missing Datasets” which question data collection practices, excluding certain societal groups and their experiences.

The Jarislowsky Fellows, along with the course instructors, Ian Milligan (History) and Marcel O’Gorman (English Language and Literature) aim to equip students with the critical skills and know-how so as to be prepared to engage in shaping the future of AI. Working collaboratively throughout the term to develop critical knowledge as well as high level transferable skills, students may choose to design a public exhibit, write a policy brief, conduct research for a scholarly paper, produce a short film, write creative fiction, design an app, or some combination of these among other project options.

The seminar culminates in the annual high-level Global Engagement Summit where students’ ideas and projects are shared with the campus and local communities.