The AI Community of Practice is co-sponsoring a generative AI book club for Spring 2025. Join us in exploring the book “AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference” by Arvind Narayanan & Sayash Kapoor. Our discussions will be an entry place to the mysteries and realities of Generative AI, and can serve as a springboard for discussions about teaching strategy, academic integrity, critical thinking, meaningful work, writing and editing of text.
As described on the book jacket:
While acknowledging the potential of some AI, such as ChatGPT, AI Snake Oil uncovers rampant misleading claims about the capabilities of AI and describes the serious harms AI is already causing in how it’s being built, marketed, and used in areas such as education, medicine, hiring, banking, insurance, and criminal justice. The book explains the crucial differences between types of AI, why organizations are falling for AI snake oil, why AI can’t fix social media, why AI isn’t an existential risk, and why we should be far more worried about what people will do with AI than about anything AI will do on its own.
Our exploration of AI Snake Oil will be entry place to the mysteries and realities of the Generative AI, and can serve as a springboard for discussions about teaching strategy, academic integrity, critical thinking, meaningful work, writing and editing of text.
The sessions are cofacilitated with members of ITSS Academic Technology and Course Design, Center for Educational Innovation, University of Minnesota Libraries, and Writing Across Curriculum.
The title is available as an unlimited ebook from UMN Libraries at your campus library:
Schedule and Topics
- Monday, February 3, 1:00 - 2:00 pm: Introduction, Chapter 2: How Predictive Ai Goes Wrong
- Monday, February 17, 1:00 - 2:00 pm: Chapter 3: Why Can’t Ai Predict The Future?, Chapter 4: The Long Road To Generative Ai
- Monday, March 3, 1:00 - 2:00 pm: Chapter 5,: Is Advanced Ai An Existential Threat?, Chapter 6: Why Can’t Ai Fix Social Media?
- Monday, March 17, 1:00 - 2:00 pm: Chapter 7: Why Do Myths About Ai Persist?, Chapter 8: Where Do We Go From Here?
Who can attend?
Anyone involved in teaching and learning with an interest in generative AI is invited to this book discussion. This program is open to everyone (faculty, staff and graduate students) across the University System.
Facilitators
The sessions are cofacilitated with members of:
- ITSS Academic Technology and Course Design (Adam Brisk).
- Center for Educational Innovation (Alyssa Bonnac).
- University of Minnesota Libraries (Malaika Grant).
- Writing Across Curriculum (Daniel Emery).
Co-sponsored by the Center for Educational Innovation, UMD’s ITSS Academic Technology and Course Design, and the UMN Artificial Intelligence Community of Practice.
Accessibility & Accommodation Requests:
We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals to engage fully. Please contact the Center for Educational Innovation ([email protected]) to request accommodations or discuss access needs (e.g. interpreting, captioning, large print, image descriptions, material format, etc.) Whenever possible, please submit requests for real-time captioning, interpreting, and material formatting at least two weeks in advance. Requests made after that point cannot be guaranteed.