Course Introduction
Welcome to INFO4940/5940 SEC10 Design AI Products and Services, 2026 spring edition.
Learning Goals
This course equips future creators of AI products and services with the knowledge and skills necessary to maximize AI’s societal benefits while minimizing its risks and harms. Through a series of hands-on projects and thought-provoking discussions, students will develop the ability to:
- Identify the sociotechnical ecosystem surrounding a specific AI system.
- Explain key concepts that underpin “good” human-AI interaction, such as collaboration, coordination, explainability, intelligibility, trustworthiness, trust, and fairness.
- Collaborate in interdisciplinary teams to apply these concepts in designing AI systems that are both valuable and empowering collaborators for their direct users, while also benefiting society and being resilient to bias and manipulation.
Prerequisite
Students must meet at least one of the following criteria before enrolling in this course.
- Human-centered design background: Completion of INFO3450, INFO4240, or equivalent courses, or relevant industry experience;
- AI background: Completion of CS3700, CS3780, ECE4200, ORIE3741, STSCI3740, or an equivalent AI course
Course Structure
- This course meets once a week for a 3-hour session on Fridays. Each session begins with a lecture that includes open-floor discussions, followed by a 10-minute break and then group activities.
- The lectures teach foundational knowledge about human-centered AI, and students will practice applying this knowledge and making concrete AI design decisions (e.g., training data, model choice, and interaction design) through three group projects. Weekly in-class activities and assignments will prepare students for these projects.
- Homework is due every Wednesday 8:30 am, 48 hours before class starts.