AI and Society

3 credits

Artificial Intelligence is already having profound, highly contested effects in a variety of contexts -the workplace and the economy, politics, policing, arts and culture, and higher education. In this class we will consider both the promises and dangers of these revolutionary technologies from the perspective of the longstanding concerns of sociology. We will situate our analysis within larger theories and episodes of technological change. Topics include impacts on jobs and employment, algorithmic discrimination and racism, disinformation and democracy, and chatbots and social connection. We will also consider dystopian and utopian futures in the context of AI.