Towards Human-Centered AI (Fall 2021)

Background

Artificial Intelligence permeates the fabric of human society and its ability to generate data-driven insights and recommendations has potential benefits at an unprecedented scale, particularly for underserved and marginalized communities. However, together with this promise, AI brings new risks and presents a real danger to deepen existing equalities, reinforce injustices, and create deeper disconnects within societies. Many of the current limitations and risks of AI stem from a growing disconnect between the technology-centric approach to the creation of AI technologies and its inextricable embedding into complex socio-cultural contexts.

As academics we need to quickly develop new resources to ensure that the current and new generation of data scientists will look at AI through a “human-first” approach: the creation of AI systems, where the human perspective and needs drive the technological innovations, throughout all stages of the systems’ design (data collection, learning models, inference strategies, interaction paradigms, validation, deployment, evaluation, and maintenance).

We, therefore, call for direct engagement of data science students with a human-centered perspective towards AI. Only by approaching the field with this lens, we can ensure that future intelligent systems will be able to benefit and respect people across the spectrum of data science and artificial intelligence.

Course Description

In this class we will discuss topics at the intersection of AI and Human-Centered Design, specifically focusing on important points at this intersection that should be part of computer science and data science education. We will critically engage as a team to uncover socio-technical topics that every data scientist should be aware of when designing, creating, and building artificial intelligence systems.

Students in this class will have the unique opportunity to help co-design a curriculum for Human-Centered AI at UC San Diego, and influence how the next generation of data scientists will incorporate a human-first approach in their thinking process.

More information

See CSE 190/291 (Human-Centered Computing for Health) Canvas Page here: https://canvas.ucsd.edu/courses/29575