a poster advertising for the class Understanding AI showing an AI generated image of Vilem Flusser in a vintage computer screen on black backgroundThe world is turning around Artificial Intelligence. But what is AI? What makes technology intelligent? And what does that mean and do for us?

The course Understanding AI introduces into the concept of AI and machine learning. We will explore how systems learn through training with or without pre-set rules, and how they generalize from their training data to quite arbitrary tasks. We will look into creative experiments with AI and applications outside the “ready-made”, “pre-packaged”, “shiny boxes” of Chatbots and prompt-based image generation, to get an idea on the true potential of AI (and also its limitations).

Each week will be divided into three sections: concept and theory, practical examples, and creative experiements.

Prerequisites: Outside the necessary interest in general digital media and communications topics, some basic coding experience in any programming language will be really helpful, as well as some general openness to mathematical thinking (i.e. if you want to enjoy the class you should not generally hate math and computers).

 

Engage and reclaim AI for the humanities!


For questions, comments, and suggestions, please reach out to me:

[email protected]

Joerg Blumtritt, Director of the WIIH