Generative Artificial Intelligence in Education, Culture and Society

Course focus and approach:
This course aims to explain and debate the profound consequences that generative
artificial intelligence is having on our societies, primarily in the realms of education and
culture, but also in politics, economics, law and everyday life.

Focus and approach:
This course is focused on the impact of generative artificial intelligence technologies on
education, production and everyday life. We will use the most advanced solutions for
the creation of text, image, video, sound and music, and will reflect on the
consequences at all levels. We will analyse this impact through the lens of the main
theories of sociology and communication.

This course will establish a close relationship with the +RAIN Film Festival, the first
European festival of films done with generative artificial intelligence organized by the
department of communication of the UPF. Students will be invited to closely know how
the festival is organized, and to watch the films that have been awarded in the last
editions of the festival. They will also be invited to participate by sending their own
creations to the festival.

Course description:
This course aims to provide a comprehensive perspective that includes the following
aspects:
(1) defining the main concepts and historical background of artificial intelligence;
(2) understanding of the generative artificial intelligence phenomenon and its cultural
and social impact, as well as the causes and consequences of biases and stereotyping in
artificial intelligence models;
(3) understanding and critically analyse the consequences of generative artificial
intelligence on economy, democracy, climate change, inclusivity and social inequality;
(4) critically analyse the creations done with generative artificial intelligence, in
particular films;
(5) familiarize with the main tools for content creation with generative AI and the
language of prompting, and
(6) competently use the tools for creating text, image, video and sound.

Learning objectives:
At the end of this course the students will:
1. Acquire basic knowledge related to generative artificial intelligence, and to concepts
such as prompting, model, neural networks, black box, reverse engineering,
computation, centralization and big data.
2. Understand the generative artificial intelligence phenomenon and its cultural and
social impact.
3. Understand the close relationship between generative artificial intelligence and the
current economic model.
4. Grasp the consequences of the datafication of everyday life.
5. Be able to articulate an academic discourse regarding the generative artificial
intelligence phenomenon in the field of communication.
6. Be able to articulate a discourse regarding the consequences of the popularization of
generative artificial intelligence on concepts such as authorship, creativity, moderation,
censorship and ethics.
7. Understand and critically analyze the consequences of generative artificial
intelligence on human cultural creation.
8. Understand the causes and the consequences of biases and stereotyping in artificial
intelligence models.
9. Understand and critically analyze the consequences of generative artificial
intelligence on the economy, democracy, and social inequality.
10. Critically analyze the creations done with generative artificial intelligence, in
particular films.
11. Familiarize with the main tools for content creation with generative AI and the
language of prompting.
12. Competently use the tools for creating text, image, video and sound.
13. Be able to understand how to create narrations by means of generative artificial
intelligence.

Course workload:
Students will have to read a short paper/report each week to be discussed in class.
They will have to write a final critical essay about the impact of generative AI on
society, culture, education, science, economy, history, or any other field of knowledge.
They will also be asked to create content with generative AI tools adapted to their own
specialties and scientific discipline.
They will be asked to present their creations (midterm and final presentation), and the
main ideas in their critical essay