Assignments > Final Project: Final Project

Due on Thu, 12/12 @ 11:59PM. 25 Points.

Introduction

For your final assignment in this class, I want to push you to think about how you might want to contribute to a more just, AI-mediated future. You can think about this very broadly. For instance:

• Writing a piece of science fiction that explores the social / ethical implications of a particular technology.
• Prototyping an alternative platform/app that instantiates a set of ethical and political commitments.
• Designing a set of interactive tools / activities / games to help people learn more about a social or ethical challenge.
• Creating a podcast, video, website, powerpoint presentation, or zine that helps someone learn about an AI technique and its potential impacts.
• Propose your own idea!

Requirements

I encourage you to pursue a topic and a task that interest you, and to communicate your thinking in a way that plays to your strengths. That said, the following requirements must be met:

1. You must explore some kind of AI and describe how it. Some questions you should probably answer:
   • Who created this technology, and why did they create it?
   • Where does the data come from? What algorithm(s) / techniques does the technology use?
   • How is the technology used?
   • Is this technology “intelligent” (and make sure it’s clear how you are defining intelligence)?
2. You must analyze the social impact of the technology, for instance:
   • What values does this technology reflect, embrace, reject, or encourage?
   • Who is affected by its design (stakeholders)?
   • How was its design affected by society?
   • Who reaps the benefits, and who suffers the costs of its creation and use?

3. In your analysis of social impact, you must incorporate ideas from at least 2 thinkers that we discussed in Unit 3 and/or Unit 5.

4. You must take a position on what needs to happen to make this technology work better for humans and / or the environment. Some questions you should probably answer:
   • Should this technology even exist? Might the goals pursued by this technology be better achieved through other means?
   • How can the benefits of the technology be maximized?
   • How can the harms of the technology be minimized?
   • How do the changes that you’re proposing make things better / worse and for whom?

5. You must use at least 5 outside sources to frame your analysis.

6. You must cite your sources in APA format.

7. If you use ChatGPT, be transparent about how you used it as instructed on the syllabus.

For anyone writing a Sci-Fi Story

1. Make sure that your story is in conversation with the readings. For instance, in both Black Mirror episodes that we watched in Week 1, surveillance capitalism, terms of service issues, and categorization / classification / metrics systems were explored in an interesting and engaging way. Make sure that your story is helping your reader think deeply about a contemporary AI-related issue.

You may work individually or in groups of no more than three people.

Deliverable 1 (5 Points)

Please fill out this Google Document.

Deliverable 2 (25 Points)

For your final project deliverable, please submit the following:

1. Your actual deliverable (e.g., story, prototype, podcast, website, game, etc.)
2. A 1/2 page write-up that answers the following question:
   • Who is your intended audience for this work? High school teachers? Your friends and family? Policymakers? Middle school students?
   • In what ways did you consider how different stakeholders, identities, communities might impact / be impacted by this technology? In other words, how does your analysis engage with power?
   • How do you think you did?
   • What would you have done if you had more time?