ST in AHS or ENGR3299: ST in Design: Generative AI: Hands-On Exploration of the Tools and the Societal Impacts

Catalog description

Cut through the hype and excitement surrounding generative AI by understanding for yourself what these tools can and cannot do; what the societal implications of these tools are; and how you can develop your own decision-making frameworks for when, whether, and why to make use of the tools. Through this course, students will learn to understand, design, and build with generative AI and, as they do, will grapple with the inevitable ethical concerns that these tools present. Depending on student interest and the changing nature of these tools, our activities may include partnering with generative AI to improve our workflows, create speculative and practical designs or 3D renderings, vibe code apps, organize and study datasets and research articles, and generate illustrations of concepts. As we create, students will examine the quality of the outputs and concerns that arise about bias, hallucinations, efficiency, and more. Readings and discussions will address the ethics and societal impacts of AI, responsible use of generative AI, and design implications for engineers, designers, and other makers. A typical class will involve a brief instructor-led overview of the topic of the day, active learning with AI tools, and full-group discussions about the primary topic, emergent topics, and active learning experiences. No previous experience with either the theory or use of AI is required for this class; students will learn to use different tools in and outside of class. Students will use their experiences in class, through coursework, and beyond to develop conceptions about how they, personally, want to use (and not use) AI as responsibly as possible.