Foundations in Human-Centered AI

Overview

In this course, we will explore the foundations of Human-Centered AI, a subdomain of artificial intelligence research that asks the core question underlying our study: How do we design AI technology in ways to augment and enhance human capability, rather than replace it outright? We will begin by examining the history of research and technology around artificial intelligence, situating our current understanding of AI in a broader historical lens that will supply some of the motivations around why it matters to design AI with a human-centric orientation. From there, we will consider some of the key concepts, tenets, and challenges of Human-Centered AI.

Syllabus

Module 1: Defining Key AI Concepts

Welcome! This module will build the foundations of our understanding of AI history, language, and current applications. We will also define many key terms that will recur throughout the lessons to help ground our discussions of AI concepts and tools.

The History of AI Development

We will continue our investigations into Human-Centered AI by surveying the history of research and development in AI. We will also discuss why human-centered approaches matter now.

Introduction to Human-Centered AI

Welcome! In this module we will begin to investigate what human-centered AI is and where it came from. We will examine the path from symbolic systems, to machine learning, to deep learning, in order to understand what has shaped AI development over time.

Inserting Humans "in-the-loop"

Welcome to Module 4! In this module we will explore ways to design AI with humans-in-the-loop. We will begin by considering how to shape AI technology to reflect human values, which will lead us into a lesson on value-sensitive design, a vital framework for embedding human values in design practice.