AI Systems in Society — Capstone

5-6 weeks

Societal Impact

Overview

This final unit shifts focus from technology to impact. Students will grapple with the ethical, fairness, and societal implications of AI systems. Through case studies, they will understand how bias enters models, how to evaluate fairness, and how to design responsible systems. The capstone project challenges students to propose a substantive AI system while addressing fairness, transparency, and deployment concerns. This unit prepares students to be thoughtful AI practitioners who consider not just "what can we build?" but "what should we build?"

Learning Objectives

1
Understand sources of bias and discrimination in AI systems.
2
Evaluate fairness using multiple definitions and metrics.
3
Interpret model decisions using explainability techniques (LIME, SHAP).
4
Assess societal impacts of AI systems (labor, privacy, autonomy, surveillance).
5
Design and deploy AI systems responsibly, considering stakeholder needs and potential harms.

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