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Humanities in the Age of AI

Fall 2024 - Anastasia Salter

Humanities in the Age of AI - DALL-E and Adobe Firefly

Course Number: ENG 6806
Email: anastasia at ucf

Course Description

This course offers an exploration of the theory and practice of artificial intelligence and its use in textual, visual, and procedural arts and humanities work. The course is divided into three units, reflecting these primary areas of the usage of AI, and engaging with both creative examples and theoretical critiques of that usage:

Textual. In the textual unit, we will consider the history of textual generation and analysis, with attention to both the exploitation of and applications for archives, literature, and historical work. Students will engage in textual generation and textual analysis.
Visual. In the visual unit, we will explore visual generation and its challenges for authorship and meaning, with attention to parallel discussions in modern and postmodern media. Students will engage in generation for both visual material and for image-texts and consider the changing perspectives on artists and creativity.
Procedural. In the procedural unit, we will dive into the layer of code, with attention to the history of generative practices in both electronic literature and digital humanities usage. Students will co-author code and interactive projects with AI models, focusing on use cases for libraries, archives, museums, and artistic expression.

The final weeks will focus on combinatorial practices of textual-visual-procedural generation that bring these methods together with human imagination towards arts and humanities problems. Each week, plan on following the module for all asynchronous activities. Each module will be divided into three sections:

Weekly Readings. Complete this combination of primary and secondary texts prior to starting the making exercise. The full schedule of required readings is listed in the syllabus: additional recommended readings will be provided in each module.
Generative Exercises. Each week’s generative exercise will involve experimenting with a different tool for AI: guidance will be provided on configuring and getting started with the tool, and students will be required to purchases subscriptions to OpenAI for some exercises.
Reflective Discussion. A weekly online discussion will provide the opportunity to share the process of making: the emphasis is not on “success” or “failure,” but on critiquing the process and products through a theoretical lens.

Course Objectives

Engage in both critical and creative projects exploring the pitfalls and potentials of large language models in visual, textual, and procedural work
Understand the history and implications of computer-augmentation across the arts and humanities
Make connections between contemporary policies around AI and past debates and perspectives on other technologies
Use large datasets to solve problems in the arts and humanities, with attention to evaluating and critiquing these methods alongside more traditional approaches in these disciplines
Use and analyze the application of AI generative methods for textual, visual, and procedural work.
Critique policies and uses of AI in various communities and contexts (the workplace, academia, etc.)

Materials and Texts

This course requires a mix of applied and theoretical readings, including some open access materials. The primary texts include:

Melanie Mitchell. Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2019). (Physical copy on reserve in the UCF Library)
Matthew Kirschenbaum. Bitstreams: The future of Digital Literary Heritage (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2021). Unlimited Access Ebook via UCF Library
Safiya Noble. Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism. (NYU Press, 2018). Unlimited Access Ebook via UCF Library
Joanna Zylinska. The Perception Machine: Our Photographic Future between the Eye and AI (MIT Press, 2023). Unlimited Access Ebook via UCF Library
Michael L. Littman. Code to Joy: Why Everyone Should Learn a Little Programming (MIT Press, 2023). Unlimited Access Ebook via UCF Library

In addition, each module includes samples, tutorials, and resources to guide the week’s making experiments. Relevant recent articles will be integrated regularly to encourage awareness of the current discourse and the field.

Evaluation and Grading

Points	Assignment Summary	Due Date
5	Activity Verification - Complete the brief survey posted on Webcourses as soon as possible to confirm your enrollment in the course. As this is required by the university, please attend to it as soon as possible at the start of classes.	Friday, August 23rd
75	Generative Exercises - Weekly discussions will consist of making, sharing, and reflecting on the process of exploring. We will work from tutorials and try a new form every week, with reflective questions connecting our process of making to the theoretical frameworks and provocations offered by our readings.	Weekly
20	Reflection - During the final exam week, students will complete a reflective essay on their journey, with particular consideration to next steps and potential future applications of the making mechanisms introduced throughout the semester. This reflection should include AI-generated material alongside materials produced directly by the student.	Tuesday, December 7th

Students can access their grades and feedback at any time using the Grade Book function of Webcourses. All assignments will be submitted through Webcourses. Plan on checking the site at least twice a week for updates and assignment information. Grades are calculated out of 100 following a standard letter scale.

Late work is accepted without penalty for one week after the listed deadline. If circumstances require extension beyond that deadline, please reach out to the instructor immediately.

There is one extra credit making exercise option available at the end of the semester for those who miss a weeek. Grades will be available through Webcourses and updated weekly.

Asynchronous Online Course Structure

This course uses a fully asynchronous online format, and relies upon students to complete all readings, engage with both course lectures and other online videos, and join in on course discussions. All assignments are due at the close of their listed module, but will be accepted with no penalty through the next listed deadline. Once an assignment closes, late work will not be accepted unless an additional extension has already been approved by the instructor: please reach out early if circumstances will require additional time!

The course has no synchronous meeting requirements: however, students are encouraged to engage in optional check-in meetings to think through their process and growth. Optional synchronous meetings will be scheduled based on the poll conducted in the first week of class.
Office hour assistance is additionally available both through text on Webcourses messages and via Zoom: Zoom is recommended for advanced technical problems, where screen-sharing might be helpful to resolving errors.
Students will need access to a reliable internet connection and computer to participate in this course. Due to some of the AI tool installation needs, administrative access to the system is required to complete assignments.
In the event of an emergency or medical challenge, additional flexibility beyond the grading guidelines is available: when anticipated, students should reach out to the instructor as soon as feasible to form a plan or discuss an incomplete if needed.

Weekly Schedule

Week One: Textual - Histories (Monday, August 19)

Tutorial: Eliza and Bots

Bitsreams - Introduction; Archives Without Dust
Berry, D. M. (2023). The Limits of Computation: Joseph Weizenbaum and the ELIZA Chatbot. Weizenbaum Journal of the Digital Society, 3(3). https://doi.org/10.34669/WI.WJDS/3.3.2
Due: Activity Verification (Friday August 23rd)
Generative Exercise One: Conversation

The Perception Machine - After-Photography; Screen Cuts; From Machine Vision to a Nontrivial Perception Machine
Artificial Intelligence - Part IV: Artificial Intelligence Meets Natural Language
Jebb, Louis. “On process: Refik Anadol seeks to demystify AI art by showing how it is put together.” The Art Newspaper. April 5, 2024
Nyce, Caroline Mimbs. “Why Does AI Art Look Like That?” The Atlantic. August 16, 2024.
Generative Exercise Six: Meaningful Images

Week Seven: Visual - Photography and Realism (Monday, September 30)

Tutorial: Video

The Perception Machine - AUTO-FOTO-KINO; Can You Photograph the Future?
Artificial Intelligence - Part V: The Barrier of Meaning
Watercutter, Angela. “Lionsgate’s New Deal is a Test of Hollywood’s Relationship with AI.” Wired Magazine. September 18, 2024.
Thompson, Stuart. “California Passes Election ‘Deepfake’ Laws, Forcing Social Media Companies to Take Action.” New York Times. September 17, 2024.
Generative Exercise Seven: Expansive Imaginaries

Week Eight: Visual - Perceptions (Monday, October 7)

Tutorial: Image Classification

The Perception Machine - “Loser Images”; Conclusion
Code to Joy - Telling Computers What to Do
Farrell, Henry. “After software eats the world, what comes out the other end?” October 3, 2024.
Knight, Will. “Hacking Generative AI for Fun and Profit.” Wired Magazine. October 2, 2024.
Generative Exercise Eight: Interactive Visualizations

Week Nine: Procedural - Code and Rules (Monday, October 14)

Tutorial: Cancelled due to Hurricane

Code to Joy - The What of Programming
Algorithms of Oppression - The Power of Algorithms
Evans, Julia. So you want to be a wizard.
Exercise cancelled due to hurricane: Install Visual Studio Code + Github Desktop

Week Ten: Procedural - Digital Humanities (Monday, October 21)

Tutorial: Talking to Your Computer

Code to Joy - Sequencing Commands
Algorithms of Oppression - A Society; Searching
Generative Exercise Ten: Recommendations from Data

Week Eleven: Procedural - Art and Play (Monday, October 28)

Tutorial: Iteration and Design

Code to Joy - Splitting on Conditionals
Algorithms of Oppression - Searching for Black Girls
Firth, Niall. “How generative AI could reinvent what it means to play.” MIT Technology Review, June 20, 2024.
Looper, Christian de. “Meet the developers integrating generative AI in a new video game.” Mashable, October 21, 2024.
Generative Exercise Eleven: Games

Week Twelve: Procedural - Hypertext (Monday, November 4)

Tutorial: Working Across Interfaces

Code to Joy - Storing in Variables
Algorithms of Oppression - Searching for People and Communities
Martin, Meredith. “Command Lines for the Humanities.” PMLA/Publications of the Modern Language Association of America. 2024;139(3):541-547. doi:10.1632/S0030812924000555
Generative Exercise Twelve: Distant Reading the Web

Week Thirteen: Textual-Visual-Procedural (Monday, November 11)

Tutorial: Multimodal Development

Code to Joy - Consolidating Into Loops
Algorithms of Oppression - Searching for Protections
Wong, Matteo. “AI Is Killing the Internet’s Curiosity.” The Atlantic. November 8, 2024.
Generative Exercise Thirteen: Portfolio of Experiments

Week Fourteen: Applications: Art (Monday, November 18)

Tutorial: Back to Bots

Code to Joy - Defining Functions
Algorithms of Oppression - Future of Knowledge in Public
Fishman, Ted C. “The AI Boom Rests on Billions of Tonnes of Concrete.” IEEE Spectrum. October 30, 2024.
“AI Robots” (interactive piece) IEEE Spectrum.
Generative Exercise Fourteen: Experimental Interactive Bot

Week Fifteen: Applications: Humanities (Monday, November 25)

Tutorial: Envisioning Complex Projects

Code to Joy - Combining Code and Data; Programmable World
Algorithms of Oppression - Future of Information Culture; Conclusion
Extra Credit Exercise: Public Humanities Prototype

Final Reflection (Due December 7)

Submit & complete your Final Reflection, as well as any approved late work, by December 7th!

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