The Decoding AI and Automating Societies studio led by Dr Ruth Richards allowed students to learn about the ways that artificial intelligence (AI) and automated decision-making (ADM) impact society and are involved with our everyday lives. We learned about the ethical considerations, and pros and cons of the evolving nature of AI and ADM and discuss how this influences the lives of different members of society. We explore the ways AI is represented in the media, including the news, film and television, etc, and deconstruct myths and mysteries that surround this technology. Students heard from multiple guest speakers throughout the semester who work or teach in industries wherein AI and ADM are a large part of their livelihood, particularly researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making + Society. We had in-depth class discussion about the future of AI and ADM and how the world is responding/will respond to this new rapidly growing evolution of technology.  

Through the entirety of the semester, we worked towards our final assessment; 5-7 minute explainer videos exploring an issue or discussion about AI and ADM. Students had the creative freedom to choose whatever topic they liked. The first half of the semester involved researching and deciding on a topic that was engaging to us, and the second half involved writing, planning, filming, and editing for the video.