FYSP 007 - Artificial Intelligence and the End of the World

FC ARHU WINT

4 credits
For all its optimism, the dream of artificial intelligence has always been haunted by apocalyptic visions: whether by robot rebellion or cyborg assimilation, through autonomous weaponry or economic collapse, the figure of the thinking machine is frequently the harbinger of the end of the world–or, at least, the world as we know it. In this course we will explore representations of AI, with its attendant promises and dangers, as expressed in film, literature, news articles, philosophical texts, graphic novels, instructional videos, poetry, textbooks, and academic papers in both the sciences and humanities.