HSOC-404: AI: Pasts + Futures

This course explores key topics in AI for artists and designers. The three-hour seminar will provide an introductory overview of the theories, histories, and debates at the intersection of art and artificial intelligence. We will discuss emerging technologies that include image generators (DALL-E, Midjourney) and large language models (ChatGPT, Bard), as well as prior computational tools and their creative uses. Topics covered will include issues of authorship, multispecies collaboration, algorithmic bias, data ethics and politics, and beyond. These topics will be paired with discussion of works by artists and designers experimenting with AI. The core objective of the course will be to develop a critical understanding of the kinds of artistic futures that might emerge through and alongside artificial intelligences. Creative assignments and responses to the course material will be encouraged, in the medium of each students' choice.