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Foundations of Artificial Intelligence

AI100  —  Foundations of Artificial Intelligence
Professor Chris Rosa
Professor Chris Rosa
AI100  ·  Sacred Heart University
Course Description  ·  Undergraduate Catalog

This course provides an introduction to the history, terminology, and foundational concepts of artificial intelligence (AI). Students will explore contemporary AI technologies and their applications across various industries, considering both the opportunities and risks associated with AI's growing influence. Special attention is given to ethical tensions, data privacy, and broader societal challenges. Students gain introductory exposure to machine learning concepts and engage in hands-on learning in the AI Lab, building a strong base for deeper exploration in later courses. Designed for non-technical majors, the course aims to spark curiosity and strengthen critical thinking about AI's implications within each student's academic discipline. No prior computer science experience is required.

3 Credits
Prereq: None
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Course Topics
AI Foundations and Responsible AI

Trace AI history and terminology while exploring human-in-the-loop systems, ethics, privacy, governance, and AI's broader societal impact.

Neural Networks and Computer Vision

Build from perceptrons to neural networks and CNNs, then see how visual features support classification and computer-vision applications through the interactive tools.

Reinforcement Learning

Explore how agents learn through actions, rewards, policies, and exploration, including Q-tables and decision-making over time in both reinforcement-learning tools.

AI Infrastructure, Energy, and Society

Understand the GPUs, data centers, computational scale, and energy demands behind modern AI, alongside governance, ethical tensions, and social consequences.

Machine Learning, NLP, and Large Language Models

Connect core machine-learning ideas to natural language processing and large language models, including practical applications, capabilities, and common limitations.

Reasoning, Assistants, Agents, and AI Workflows

Explore reasoning models, AI assistants, evaluation, responsible use, agents, tool use, MCP, and emerging workflows for working with capable AI systems.

Interactive Tools
AI100 Assistant