University of Wisconsin–Madison

For Undergraduates

The Center for Humanistic Inquiry into Artificial Intelligence and Uncertainty does not currently have job or research opportunities available for undergraduate students, although we hope to in the future.

Undergraduate students can get involved with AI&U by subscribing to our newsletter and attending our events throughout the year. They may also want to explore the new Ethics of Data and Artificial Intelligence certificate, developed in collaboration with several members of AI&U’s Steering Committee. Finally, undergraduate students can consider taking courses on AI taught by Center fellows, Steering Committee Members, and affiliated departments.

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Experts from all kinds of disciplinary backgrounds—in academia as well as business, policy, and government—are increasingly collaborating on joint projects and beginning to “speak the same language.” For students to join such teams tackling ethical issues of data and AI of any kind, they must learn to speak that same language and be equipped with the conceptual resources and interdisciplinary skills necessary for addressing the ethical, legal, and societal implications of AI.

This certificate integrates multiple humanities and social science perspectives, including from philosophy, history, data policy, science and technology studies, and media studies. Students will explore ethically and socially urgent questions like:

  • How can we ensure that AI systems assess everyone in a just and unbiased way?
  • Is it justifiable to base decisions about individuals on statistical generalizations?
  • If AI outputs are not fully explainable, should they still be deployed?
  • How important are long-term risks related to the safety of highly sophisticated future AI tools in comparison to other kinds of risks here and now?

This new certificate is currently being offered by the Department of Philosophy in the College of Letters and Science, and is available to all undergraduate students who complete the coursework requirements. Learn more about the certificate here.

Interested in learning more about AI from a humanistic, social scientific, and/or critical perspective? Consider adding these courses, taught by AI&U Steering Committee members, fellows, and affiliated departments, to your Fall 2026 schedule:

(NOTE: not all of these course fulfill requirements in the Ethics of Data and Artificial Intelligence certificate)

  • Communication Arts 110: Artificial Intelligence in Story and Screen (Derek Johnson)
  • Communication Arts 343: Human Communication in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (AI) (Jinyoung Choi)
  • English 178: Writing Machines (Ainehi Edoro)
  • Philosophy 244: Introductory Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Ethics (Matthew Maxwell; Edvard Aviles Meza; Henry Curcio)