124263 KO Critical Media Analysis (2024W)

The surge in AI-generated images and videos has captivated online and print audiences alike. Viral sensations like "the Pope in Balenciaga" or fake images of the arrest of Donald Trump have sparked a spectrum of reactions ranging from disbelief and concern to unbridled enthusiasm, wondering whether these elaborate AI techniques for amateur cultural production mark a tipping point in digital culture: new dimensions of creativity, playful artistic social commentary, fan culture, and unprecedented accessibility to once-elite techniques coexist with the darker side – harmful deep fakes, fake news, manipulative stereotyping, and the capitalist drive to exploit and monetize every facet of cultural production.
Does this call for new levels of critical media literacy capable of navigating the intricate (ab)use of technology, agency, and power in the age of AI?
This course ventures beyond a purely technical exploration of AI and explores what people, corporations, and politics can do with this technology. Students will first examine the foundational aspects of critical media literacy and re-think their own position and experience with (critical) media literacy. With a focus on AI for cultural production, students will then adapt existing frameworks and propose modifications. They will be able to explain how concepts like “mean images”, “frontier”, or “data labor”, may be used to understand the ethical, ideological, political, and economic implications surrounding the use of AI tools. Students will therefore be able to identify and analyze how power dynamics concerning class, race, gender, and ability are inscribed, produced, or challenged through the use or representation of AI applications in a cultural and artistic contexts.
The overall objective of this course is to empower students as informed navigators in the evolving media landscape, enabling them to consume, question, and contribute to media content critically and responsibly in the age of AI. Through the cultivation of students' abilities to evaluate media content influenced by AI, the course encourages AI literacy and a nuanced understanding of concepts such as authenticity, bias, and underlying power dynamics. Students will heighten their ethical and societal awareness by exploring AI's role in shaping cultural production, public opinion, reinforcing or challenging societal norms, and influencing cultural discourses and narratives. The course also equips students to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world examples, investigating controversial cases in the creative industries and media. Practical insights are gained through hands-on tasks using AI tools in study groups. Furthermore, the course aims to enhance students' proficiency in annotating academic texts and communicating complex ideas related to critical media literacy and AI, both in written and oral forms.
Fostering active participation and collaborative learning, the course blends e-lectures, discussions of class readings and case studies, small group in-class activities, and presentations by study groups.