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:

[email protected]