Today, artificial intelligence has made commercial space travel possible, driverless cars realistic, and given humanoid robots citizenship. But for most of us, artificial intelligence is less fantastical and more, well, ordinary. A.I. is embedded in the smart phones and watches we keep on our bodies, the smart home devices that tell us how to dress each morning, and the smart recommendation engines that tell us what to stream. This first year seminar will critically explore the emergence of ordinary artificial intelligence, or smart life. In order to do this, we will study the history of A.I. in the western world. We will break down the words artificial and intelligence. We will consider the burning questions that A.I. prompts – what does it mean to be human? what does it mean to be smart? Can life be replaced, enhanced, or custom designed? Is faster and smarter always better? How have media represented A.I. over time, and what counts as smart mediation today? And most importantly: who does smart life privilege, what does smart life make invisible, and how can we be advocates for a truly smarter world? Weekly seminars include screenings of film, TV, art, and friendly scholarly debate about the presences of smart technologies in our daily lives.

Course Requirements:

Weekly readings and screenings, paper or project, discussion questions, seminar discussion

Intended Audience:

First year undergraduate students only

Class Format:

  Seminar - meets once weekly