070065 VO Artificial Intelligence: Areas of tension, challenges and opportunities. (2024S)

In cooperation between the Institute of Contemporary History at the University of Vienna and the City of Vienna, this lecture series introduces students to different perspectives on the topic of artificial intelligence from a theoretical and practical perspective. Experts will open up perspectives on different areas of society and science that are dealing with or are affected by the "AI revolution" on a daily basis, that will be significantly affected by it in the future, or that have had to deal with it for a long time.

The opening of the lecture series in the Great Ceremonial Hall of Vienna City Hall on March 7th, 2024, lays the foundation for the rest of the semester - here, the importance of cooperation between politics, science and society on issues of digitalization and developments in the field of AI will be made visible, central issues of the coming semester will be discussed and all students and interested parties will be offered the opportunity to exchange ideas and network. The following units will deal with, among other things, different digitization and AI strategies that are being pursued by Europe, the USA or China, the path and AI-strategy of the City of Vienna, and, last but not least, the question of how we ourselves can have an influence on shaping a fair future in the age of AI.

Students gain insights into the fields of activity and subject areas of the sub-disciplines of the Master's in Contemporary History and Media and beyond and are encouraged to describe, recognize and link interdisciplinary problem areas and developments. Concepts such as "digital humanism" are addressed, practices of political participation in the digital space are discussed and the implications of the use of AI in education are reflected upon. The units consist of expert presentations and subsequent discussion with students - you are therefore encouraged to bring your own questions, share experiences, express criticism and identify problems. Detailed information and further learning materials will be provided and announced via the associated Moodle course.

The main language of the lecture is German, but some of the courses are also held in English.