A new course focused on the societal and technical impacts of artificial intelligence will be introduced at Stony Brook University in Spring 2026. The course, titled CDS222: All Ecologies, is designed to appeal to students from any academic background and does not require prior knowledge of AI.
Joseph Lemelin, assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy and primary instructor for the course, described its broad approach. “AI is changing nearly every aspect of our lives — it affects how everyday actions are surveilled, the media we see, what kinds of jobs will exist, how resources are distributed, and even our sense of what it means to be a human being,” Lemelin said. “This timely and exciting new course offers a big-picture, holistic approach to raising urgent questions about AI and its role in our lives.”
The course will feature weekly guest lectures from faculty across various disciplines at Stony Brook University whose research involves AI. These include professors from computer science, English, communication, history, art, psychology, linguistics, and music. The structure includes lectures on Mondays and Wednesdays that cover core concepts as well as Friday recitations dedicated to hands-on coding sessions.
The development of CDS222 was supported by a seed grant from Stony Brook’s AI Innovation Institute (AI3). The curriculum combines humanities and social science perspectives with practical coding experience.
Matthew Salzano from the School of Communication and Journalism emphasized the course’s accessibility for students interested in understanding AI’s complexities. “If you’re finding yourself intrigued and/or bewildered by AI—whether you aren’t sure what that term really refers to, or you don’t understand how it actually works technically, or you can’t keep up with the daily headlines of its impacts on society and culture—then CDS222 is the class for you,” Salzano said. “That’s because ‘AI Ecologies’ works like a hub for the various approaches to studying AI at SBU: the core of the course provides you with the technical and philosophical background to ground yourself in the AI conversations, and through guest lecturers, you’ll learn how you might extend that learning all around campus.”
CDS222 is now open for registration. It fulfills two requirements within the Stony Brook Curriculum: Practice & Respect Critical/Ethical Reasoning (CER) and Understand Technology (TECH).
