This looks like a wonderful class, Bryan! Your students are in for a fascinating semester.
One thing I particularly appreciate about your approach is your incorporation of the "meta." This seems hard to avoid, given that you're focusing on a topic that may itself have a direct impact on the course during the semester, and I think it's so smart to embrace this uncertainty as part of the challenge and excitement of futuring.
I've also been thinking a lot about LLMs require meta-level thinking in the way both we and LLMs use language as the medium to talk, write, and think about the way LLMs talk, write, and, well, not quite think (yet). This is one way I see the popular calculator analogy falling short.
I hope the course is a great learning experience for both your students and you!
Miranda, thank you very much for these kind comments and thoughts.
Meta: I suspect my students are already musing along those lines, but I have to help them feel comfortable talking about this out loud in class. The power differential (I am the grader) can be daunting.
Really good thought about how LLMs make us rethink language. Do you think it does the same for visual art?
Great question about visual art. I've given less thought to that aspect of the latest AI developments, but my initial response is that language, especially writing, is different, in that it can be both the product of LLMs and the means by which we communicate about those LLMs (and their products -- the snake eats its tail!).
Using AI to produce visual art raises fascinating questions for me about what it means to be an artist and to make art. Maybe there are analogies to be made to art production that uses human collaborators, with the "artist" (the one whose name goes on the work) providing guidance to others who do the actual making? Though that comparison mustn't overlook that art production on that model is still being done by humans. Is AI a tool or a collaborator?
Your question is also making me reflect on how AI image generation could be thought about in comparison to the work of conceptual artists like Sol LeWitt. Here, for instance, is a call from the Utah Museum of Fine Arts for student drafters to "Help Make Sol LeWitt's Wall Drawing #33 (1970)":
"Is AI a tool or a collaborator?" is one of the great questions to explore.
I think about editing tools for digital photography. They don't feel like collaborators to me, even though I rely on them. Spell- and grammarcheckers feel the same. But when I use Midjourney I feel more like having a conversation.
I didn't know Sol Lewitt at all. Fascinating. Makes me think of some textual experiments, from Cortazar's Hopscotch to Choose Your Own Adventure.
The three paragraphs on the uncertainty from corporate changes, school policy, and cultural policy are important, things we do not talk about enough. I don't teach, I'm in a support role, trying to help students and faculty understand what is happening. These are things I emphasize in my presentations and consultations. I especially like to give examples of the kinds of changes that we see in AIs and the sorts of concerns students may have with the software, but I also try to make it clear just now uncertain things truly are, how fast they can change, and that, when it comes to student concerns, we really cannot anticipate all of them yet.
I love your syllabus Bryan. What a great way to introduce, use, and challenge students with evolving AI trends and issue!
Thank you, Daniel! It's an experiment.
My other class will be sort of similar. You'll see.
This looks like a wonderful class, Bryan! Your students are in for a fascinating semester.
One thing I particularly appreciate about your approach is your incorporation of the "meta." This seems hard to avoid, given that you're focusing on a topic that may itself have a direct impact on the course during the semester, and I think it's so smart to embrace this uncertainty as part of the challenge and excitement of futuring.
I've also been thinking a lot about LLMs require meta-level thinking in the way both we and LLMs use language as the medium to talk, write, and think about the way LLMs talk, write, and, well, not quite think (yet). This is one way I see the popular calculator analogy falling short.
I hope the course is a great learning experience for both your students and you!
Miranda, thank you very much for these kind comments and thoughts.
Meta: I suspect my students are already musing along those lines, but I have to help them feel comfortable talking about this out loud in class. The power differential (I am the grader) can be daunting.
Really good thought about how LLMs make us rethink language. Do you think it does the same for visual art?
Great question about visual art. I've given less thought to that aspect of the latest AI developments, but my initial response is that language, especially writing, is different, in that it can be both the product of LLMs and the means by which we communicate about those LLMs (and their products -- the snake eats its tail!).
Using AI to produce visual art raises fascinating questions for me about what it means to be an artist and to make art. Maybe there are analogies to be made to art production that uses human collaborators, with the "artist" (the one whose name goes on the work) providing guidance to others who do the actual making? Though that comparison mustn't overlook that art production on that model is still being done by humans. Is AI a tool or a collaborator?
Your question is also making me reflect on how AI image generation could be thought about in comparison to the work of conceptual artists like Sol LeWitt. Here, for instance, is a call from the Utah Museum of Fine Arts for student drafters to "Help Make Sol LeWitt's Wall Drawing #33 (1970)":
https://umfa.utah.edu/sites/default/files/2019-01/Students%20Needed_UMFA%20Sol%20LeWitt%20Wall%20Drawing.pdf.
It includes a quote from LeWitt that is very interesting to consider in light of AI art: "the idea is the machine that makes the art."
Thanks for giving me an excuse to think about this!
"Is AI a tool or a collaborator?" is one of the great questions to explore.
I think about editing tools for digital photography. They don't feel like collaborators to me, even though I rely on them. Spell- and grammarcheckers feel the same. But when I use Midjourney I feel more like having a conversation.
I didn't know Sol Lewitt at all. Fascinating. Makes me think of some textual experiments, from Cortazar's Hopscotch to Choose Your Own Adventure.
Any chance of you sharing some of the AI assignments?
Sure. How about in followup posts, reflecting on the experience?
Sounds good… also checking out your simulation ideas
The simulation uses are far beyond basic chat. Very interesting!
The three paragraphs on the uncertainty from corporate changes, school policy, and cultural policy are important, things we do not talk about enough. I don't teach, I'm in a support role, trying to help students and faculty understand what is happening. These are things I emphasize in my presentations and consultations. I especially like to give examples of the kinds of changes that we see in AIs and the sorts of concerns students may have with the software, but I also try to make it clear just now uncertain things truly are, how fast they can change, and that, when it comes to student concerns, we really cannot anticipate all of them yet.
I'm very glad you do all of that, Guy.
A few weeks ago I tried out a flowchart of possibilities. Maybe I should update and improve it.