Artificial Intelligence, Business, and Society

Catalog description

The progression of AI-based technologies promises to transform many aspects of business, labor, and even society. The goal of this course is to provide students with an understanding of the capabilities of modern AI technologies, with an emphasis on being able to critically assess where they can provide business and societal value, and where they may create new challenges. This course is intended to provide a framework for people who may have to confront the legal, ethical, and economic challenges that are likely to arise around AI. A goal of the course is to ensure that students who complete the course are comfortable enough in the inner-workings of these technologies to think critically across many AI contexts as well as different domains ranging from public policy, to criminal justice, to health inspections, HR, and marketing. The course is oriented around hands-on labs, exams, discussions, and presentations. Labs will reinforce your learning of how AI works, and how it is being used to solve business problems. A coding background is not required, but students should be willing to engage with code to a limited degree in order to complete the labs. During labs, students will combine data and algorithms to provide a foundation for understanding the deep challenges that AI brings to organizations. The class is particularly suitable for students who will be searching for jobs in the business of technology, such as product management and business analytics, as well as those interested in the larger social implications of AI technologies.