Artificial Agency and Society
PHIL 166AI
Subject & Catalog Number
Course Information
Description
Not long ago, highly capable AI agents were the stuff of science fiction. Today, most of us interact with them many times a day (often without even noticing it!). Scholars from diverse fields are now racing to determine what impact this rapid shift is likely to have both on our society and on humanity more generally. This course will first examine how artificial agents are currently designed and then discuss whether we should attribute to them typical human capacities like believing, thinking, preferring, planning, deceiving and manipulating. We will then examine some of the conceptual, social and ethical puzzles raised by these new agents. Topics will include: AI companionship; human-AI team decision-making; AI agents in science; AI freewill and responsibility; the future of work; and AI alignment, safety and existential risk. The course is designed both for humanities-inclined students interested in digging into some technical details of AI and technically-inclined students interested in examining AI’s ethical implications.
Class Notes
When submitting a petition, please include the following items in the comments:
1. A very short description of your intended area(s) of study (just concentration(s) would do).
2. Say whether your past background is more formal/computational, philosophical/normative, or balanced between the two.
3. A very short explanation of why you're interested in the course (~20 or so words would do).
4. Say whether you think AI is having an overall positive or overall negative impact on society.
Available for Harvard Cross Registration
NOTE: This course requires additional sections; you will be prompted to choose secondary components during the Add to Cart process
