| Unit name | Human-AI Interaction |
|---|---|
| Unit code | COMSM0144 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Paul Marshall |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Computer Science |
| Faculty | Faculty of Engineering |
Why is this unit important?
Recent rapid advances in artificial intelligence have created opportunities and risks across a wide range of domains. Three key questions will be addressed in this unit: how are AI technologies impacting people in a variety of areas such as healthcare and business; how can we design AI systems that respect human capabilities and values; and what are the opportunities and risks of AI changing practices in the UX industry?
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
An understanding of human-AI interaction will be essential preparation for the next generation of HCI researchers and UX professionals. It is a mandatory unit and will be taught on the HCI MSc and the HCI PGDip.
An overview of content
This unit will provide students with an overview of historical and emerging work on human-AI interaction. It will provide a concise and non-technical overview of AI, focusing on machine learning algorithms, data labelling and the recent successes of generative AI. It will then discuss different ways of conceiving of human-AI interaction, including Human-In-The-Loop and Mixed Initiative Interaction. Methods to design human-AI interaction will be explored, including user centred, participatory and design approaches as well as key topics such as such as interpretability, trust, explainability, bias, and privacy. Case studies of current Human-AI interaction as well as future approaches to Human-AI interaction will also be explored, with particular attention on emerging uses of AI in the user experience industry.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
This unit will prepare students for the rapidly changing world of work and interactive technology through the influence of AI. It will not only cover the fundamentals of AI and human-AI interaction, but will also encourage them to think critically about the design of AI and issues that arise around responsible innovation. This is likely to be a topic that students will engage with after their programme ends, and this unit will prepare them for those conversations and engagements in the future of human-AI interaction.
Learning Outcomes
1. To critically examine how AI technologies might impact people in different use cases
2. To apply different approaches to designing human-AI interactions that respect human capabilities and values
3. To identify and critically reflect upon how AI is impacting and will impact practices in the UX industry
The approach to teaching will be online and synchronous, and therefore will be interactive. Through an MS Team for the unit, students will be able to engage with the lecture materials, reading materials, the teaching staff and their peers. Many of the sessions will be a mix of theory, methods and hands on practical formative work. The human-AI coursework will be individual, with small amounts of formative groupwork in class with different individual themes. The focus of the unit will be linked to advances and future possibilities of human-AI interactions, with learning tied in with the state of the art in HCI AI research and state of the art industrial practice with interactive AI (including the use of AI in the UX industry).
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
This unit will be taught online and synchronously with significant engagement directly from lecturers and teaching assistants in class orally and visually, but also through online chat. Ongoing engagement will occur on MSTeams, which will help students to reflect on their understanding. Consultations will be regular throughout the unit, and particularly around the coursework.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
50% will be the human-AI coursework (ILOs 1-3) where students will pick a past, current or future human-AI interactive technology to discuss in terms of the technology itself, the interactions it supports, its design, and its (potential) impacts. This will be written up as a 2000 word essay and submitted as individual coursework.
50% will be an oral presentation (ILOs 1-3) conducted after the course material has been delivered and the coursework handed in, conducted during the exam period. Two members of staff will have an individual MSTeams meeting with each student to discuss different aspects of the human-AI technology chosen for their coursework, as well as human-AI technologies, design principles, and issues/implications for the design of future human-AI interactions.
When assessment does not go to plan
In the case of required reassessment, the student will need to undertake the assessment component(s) as above which they have not passed.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. COMSM0144).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
