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Week 3 - The algorithm made me do it#

They're seemingly everywhere, influencing all your decisions. What to buy, who to date, what to watch, who to hire? Algorithm is a common enough word these days, but do we know what they are? What they do? Can we blame everything on the algorithm? What about AI or machine learning? Oh and what about ethics?

Prep for Tuesday:#

Tuesday, January 30, 2024#

  • icebreaker:
  • week 2 follow up
  • Discuss: What is an algorithm?
  • Activity: let's audit an algorithm. Each team will be assigned a platform (Netflix, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube).
    1. Create a Boxnote in our folder for your team.
    2. Work together to answer the following:
      • Who created this platform? Who owns it? Are those the same thing?
      • What is the goal of this platform?
      • Where does the money come from?
      • Where does the content come from? Are creators paid? Do they own their creations? How do you know?
      • Give me a brief idea of the user experience. What happens on this platform? How does your experience of the platform differ from your classmates'?
      • Where do you suspect algorithms are working? How do you know? What are they doing? Let's employ Cathy O'Neil's audit:
        • data integrity - can we trust the data being used?
        • what is this platform's definition of success?
        • accuracy - are there errors? how often? for whom does this model fail? what is the cost of failure?
        • long-term effects and feedback loops

Prep for Thursday:#

Thursday, February 1, 2024#

  • Icebreaker:
  • Project chat
  • Discuss + define: readings, AI, your articles!
  • Activity: Let's chat with the chatbots. At your table, each student should take responsibility for one of the following: ChatGPT, Bard, Bing/Copilot, and Claude. You might also want to check out Goblin Tools. Address the following. As you experiment, compare your answers with those at your table.
    • Who made this?
    • What's powering it? Which language model?
    • What can it do? More than text?
    • Ask the chatbot to complete your homework from week 1 or 2. What does it do well? What doesn't work?
    • Ask the chatbot about a topic you know very well. What does it get right? Wrong?
    • What is this chatbot good for? What do the owners/creators recommend?
    • What warnings do you get? What is the privacy policy?
    • What is the environmental impact of using this tool?
    • What article did you find about AI? How can you use your chatbot to accomplish what was discussed in the article?
  • Activity: our own AI policy. Let's add to our class charter. What should be the rules for using AI in class? Discuss at your table first.

Week 3 Assignments - Due Tuesday at 12pm#

Blog post #3#

Let’s start brainstorming about potential project topics. What are you interested in? What’s compelling about your major/minor? How do DCI concepts fit into that topic? If you don't have a major/minor yet, could this be a way to explore a topic related to a potential area of interest? Maybe you want to dive into something you haven't had a chance to explore in college yet. Think broadly!

Next, what questions do you have about that topic? Take a look at the final project description to get a sense of what you'll be doing with the digital essay.

Specs:

  • Create a WordPress post, turn in the link on Canvas.
  • 300-500 words.
  • Include 3-5 questions you have either about the final project or about your topic.
  • Free from grammatical errors, typos.
  • Credit and link out to sources when appropriate. I won't require that you use a certain citation style, but you should be in the habit of crediting sources and using in-text links. If you feel better about using a formal citation style, go for it!

Activity log #3 - AI for good?#

We've read a lot about the dangers of algorithms and AI and how they "automate the status quo" (Davidson). But what about AI for good? I don't want you to leave this class being entirely pessimistic about technology. How can these technologies improve the world? For this activity, I want you to invent an app or website that will do its best to be free of bias or harm. What sector would you create this app in? How would you ensure it passes the algorithm audit? Your chosen topic can be in response to the article you found for Thursday, or it can be something new.

Specs:

  • Create a WordPress post, turn in the link on Canvas.
  • 300-500 words. Can use bullet points, headings, etc.
  • Free from grammatical errors, typos.
  • Include at least one image - either a sketch, stock photo, etc that illustrates your app.
  • Address Cathy O'Neil's algorithm audit. How will you guarantee your app passes the test? What's your evidence?
    • data integrity - can we trust the data being used?
    • what is this platform's definition of success?
    • accuracy - are there errors? how often? for whom does this model fail?
    • long-term effects and feedback loops