AI, Culture, and Design

In this course we will examine AI from interwoven anthropological, technical, and speculative lenses. Students will investigate how these technologies are entangled with social and cultural life, examining AI’s relationship with labor, privacy, and bias via real-world case studies. We will also build a working understanding of how AI systems function, from training data to architectures. Over the term, students will be equipped with design methods, such as the double diamond framework and futures thinking, working towards a prototype that envisions what a more trustworthy, fair, and human AI product might look like. No technical background required.



Bochu Ding is a technologist and AI researcher who has built agentic systems at NASA, published on AI bias and alignment, and advised institutions representing billions in philanthropic funding on technology strategy.