The emergence of GenAI presents fascinating questions for society. These AI models learn from exposure to large amounts of pre-existing content, and then generates machine-produced content in different modalities such as text, music, visual art, etc. The results are often impressive and realistic. For example, ChatGPT generates text that sounds like a human conversation, while DALL-E generates art that is virtually indistinguishable from human-created art. These technologies also raise important societal questions, for example: How do we compare machine-generated vs. human-generated content? What are potential benefits and negative consequences? How do we mitigate harms? And what is the future of content as AI-generated content becomes increasingly realistic and widespread? In this course, we will explore the implications of GenAI through five modules: a technical foundations module; three domain-specific modules on music, art, and science/health; and a module on AI regulation. Each domain module will include lectures that provide an overview of technical concepts and applications in that domain, as well as field trips and discussions with experts to dive deeper into the societal implications. Students will write reflection papers corresponding to each module. The course will culminate in a final paper where students will study one GenAI technology of their choice, in-depth, and its regulatory considerations.
3 units · Letter (ABCD/NP) · GER: WAY-SI, WAY-SMA
The emergence of GenAI presents fascinating questions for society. These AI models learn from exposure to large amounts of pre-existing content, and then generates machine-produced content in different modalities such as text, music, visual art, etc. The results are often impressive and realistic. For example, ChatGPT generates text that sounds like a human conversation, while DALL-E generates art that is virtually indistinguishable from human-created art. These technologies also raise important societal questions, for example: How do we compare machine-generated vs. human-generated content? What are potential benefits and negative consequences? How do we mitigate harms? And what is the future of content as AI-generated content becomes increasingly realistic and widespread? In this course, we will explore the implications of GenAI through five modules: a technical foundations module; three domain-specific modules on music, art, and science/health; and a module on AI regulation. Each domain module will include lectures that provide an overview of technical concepts and applications in that domain, as well as field trips and discussions with experts to dive deeper into the societal implications. Students will write reflection papers corresponding to each module. The course will culminate in a final paper where students will study one GenAI technology of their choice, in-depth, and its regulatory considerations.
Offered in Winter 2026 at Stanford University.