Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is on everyone's lips. In response to this hot topic, the Digital Science Center (DiSC) has designed an interdisciplinary course specifically aimed at giving students a basic understanding of the underlying principles of this technology and its far-reaching impact on various fields. It will start in the coming winter semester.
Generative AI has entered the mainstream in the form of different chatbots: It writes plausible texts and creates realistic images. A new lecture series at the Digital Science Center (DiSC) shows the transformative potential of generative AI from a multidisciplinary perspective: lecturers from 11 different disciplines from inside and outside the DiSC fill educational gaps and create links between sessions dedicated to the various topics. "Assembling a team of 16 experts who together will deliver 14 different sessions in our lecture series was challenging, yet it is essential for this multi-faceted topic. With the timely and practical content, the course drew high interest among students from all faculties. We are excited to start our multidisciplinary journey in October," emphasises Joanna Chimiak-Opoka, associate Dean of Studies at the DiSC.
Well-rounded offer
The course is divided into two parts: One part consists of units on the basics of neural networks and language models - how does generative AI work, what principles does it operate on? A second part is dedicated to the implications of generative AI - such as ethical, legal, economic and education (policy) consequences of AI.
This topical offering is open to students of all disciplines, as is custom at the DiSC for the Minor Digital Science and other courses, and the focus is also on the practical nature of the course: "Our lecturers will present underlying foundations, but will also involve students in trying out different AI tools, and in participating in discussions to establish conceptual frameworks, approaches, and best practices for the effective usage of AI," explains Joanna Chimiak-Opoka.
