3 credits
Spring 2026 Lecture Upper Division
We are currently witnessing amazing technological innovations brought about by the production, accumulation, and analysis of unimaginable amounts of data. These technologies are disrupting industries, creating new classes of wealthy and poor, and providing novel opportunities for social control and resistance. This course will look at how the increasing centrality of data is changing our world. Among the questions we will answer: What's so big about Big Data? How intelligent is artificial intelligence? Why does everyone want my data? Will there still be jobs when I graduate?
Learning Outcomes1Outline the development of machine learning technologies from expert systems to neural nets.
2Explain why data has become a precious resource, and the positive and negative effects this change has engendered.
3Critically appraise potential dangers of artificial intelligence and automation as well as their potential benefits.
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