Discussions about Artificial Intelligence (AI): Preparing for AI in your class

A new history of human intelligence argues that humans know themselves by knowing their machines. We imagine that we are both in control of and controlled by our bodies- autonomous yet automatic. According to David W. Bates, this entanglement emerged in the seventeenth century when humans first built and compared themselves with machines. Reading varied thinkers from Descartes to Kant to Turing, Bates reveals how, time and time again, technological developments offered new ways to imagine how the body's automaticity worked alongside the mind's autonomy. Tracing these evolving lines of thought, An Artificial History of Natural Intelligence offers a new theorization of the human as a being dependent on technology and producing itself as an artificial automaton without a natural, outside origin.

Since it was first published in 2005, Ray Kurzweil's The Singularity Is Near (Duckworth) and its vision of the future have been influential in spawning a worldwide movement with millions of followers, hundreds of books, and major films (Her, Lucy, Ex Machina). During the succeeding decade many of his predictions about tech advancements have been borne out. In this entirely new book Kurzweil takes a fresh perspective on advances in the singularity - assessing many of his predictions and examining the novel advancements to a revolution in knowledge and an expansion of human potential.

Many of us perceive recent advances in artificial intelligence as a sudden threat to humanity, but Dr. Joy Buolamwini, a leading figure in AI research, has been working toward this moment for a long time. She uncovered pervasive racial and gender bias in AI services and founded the Algorithmic Justice League to prevent AI-related harm. Buolamwini emphasizes the need for algorithmic justice and calls for AI to serve and be created by the people, not just a privileged few.

Ethan Mollick, a Wharton professor and author of the One Useful Thing Substack newsletter, presents a definitive playbook for navigating the new age of AI. In "Co-Intelligence," he encourages us to engage with AI as a co-worker, co-teacher, and coach, urging us to harness its power to create a better human future. This thought-provoking book explores the transformative potential of AI and the imperative of mastering the skill of working together with smart machines.