Project 3
IAH 206 Project Three
Dr. Mike Ristich
Can AI be a "liberatory
technology"?
Rhetorical Situation
Imagine that you’ve been asked to edit a special issue of IEEE Intelligent Systems,
which entails writing a short piece about
whether or not AI can be used a “liberatory
technology.”
Rhetorical Situation Cont.
You've read a lot of strange readings. You've watched some provocative videos.
What can you draw upon to make an argument about the potential of AI to make
our lives better?
Rhetorical Invention
Rhetorical Invention Cont. (Analysis)
What is your hope for AI- human relationships?
Is there one area where you think AI holds great potential?
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What would an “ethical science of the artif icial” look
like?
What knowledge do we need to design “ethical robots?”
Remember, to analyze means to break an object into its constituent parts. So, ask
yourselves these (and other) questions in order to understand the subject.
Can AI be used to make humanity better? If so, how can
AI be used to “liberate” humanity f rom the problems we face
today, as well as the problems we’ll face tomorrow?
Rhetorical Invention (Interpretation)
Remember, to interpret means to develop an explanation of how an object is constructed. So, turn your analysis into some opinions like the ones above.
After sorting out how you feel about the question (summary, analysis, and interpretation), you can
compare your interpretation to your
sources.
Rhetorical Invention (synthesis)
Remember, to synthesize means to put things together in order to create and test knowledge.
As you encounter your sources again, do you see
patterns, similarities, differences (among the
sources and/or your opinion)?
Rhetorical Invention (Synthesis Cont)
It's at this point--where we've learned (through summary-analysis-interpretation) about the object
(film), and compared it to other bodies of knowledge (synthesis), that we can generate a new perspective.
Now you should have an answer to the question
you've been asked to answer?:
Can AI be used to make
humanity better? If so, how can AI be used to
“liberate” humanity f rom the problems we face today, as well as the
problems we’ll face tomorrow?
New Knowledge? Anwers?
Turn your synthesis into a thesis & claims.
Turn your analysis of
the videos and readings into
evidence.
Thesis: "Instead of being consolidated to a select few people, we can make AI work for all humans by..."
Claim: "As opposed to being used to incarcerate more people, AI can be used to identify pointed areas of government investment."
Evidence: "For example, Yuval Harrari notes..."
Connection back to thesis/purpose: "So, to counter the negative narratives surrounding AI, we should democratize decision-making in order to make AI work for humanity."
Focus on Paragraphs
(this example represents just one approach to this project)
The rest is up to you.
Make sure each section (introduction, summary, analysis, conclusion) of your writing does the appropriate rhetorical
work.
Of course, you'll also be able to summarize,
analyze, interpret, synthesize, and
evaluate your essays's effectiveness in your
cover letter. Email me with any questions:
ristich@msu.edu