Artificial Intelligence and the Human Apocalypse: A Case Study Assignment

Abstract

“Artificial Intelligence and the Human Apocalypse” is an assignment that employs a podcast, a YouTube documentary, two general articles, and a personal conversation with ChatGPT to encourage students to consider all sides of the, “Is artificial intelligence (AI) dangerous?” debate, and to explore AI’s potential role(s) in future disasters. Designed for...

Download this resource to see full details. Download this resource to see full details.

Details

Subject Area(s):

Science and Technology

Resource Type(s):

Assignment, Class Activity

Class Level(s):

College 100, College 200, College 300, College 400

Class Size(s):

Any

Usage Notes

This case study assignment was created for an asynchronous 300-level Sociology of Disaster course. It was assigned at the end of the semester after students had read (and received lecture on) all of Kathleen Tierney’s (2019) Disasters: A Sociological Approach. The week prior to this assignment, students reviewed Chapter 8 of Tierney’s (2019)...

Learning Goals and Assessments

Learning Goal(s):

1. To expose students to the various sides of the artificial intelligence debate.
2. Connect information learned via multimedia sources and ChatGPT to sociological concepts/theories learned earlier in the course.
3. To stimulate critical thinking by analyzing potential technological and global crises.
4. Hone writing skills to create concise, formal, and logical reflection responses that apply sociology of disaster terms.

Goal Assessment(s):

1. These goals are evaluated through a worksheet-guided writing assignment (provided on page 5 of this document). However, instructors can supplement this assessment by adding a class discussion to stimulate conversation between students about the future of disasters.