Knud Berthelsen
SLAM 3111 AI and Society at Tulane, paper collage of a city at dusk where AI connects classrooms, offices, hospitals and streets

SLAM 3111 · Tulane University

AI and Society

What AI is changing, what it might change next, and what it means for YOU.

  • 3 credits
  • AI Literacy Minor
  • No prerequisites

How is AI changing the way we live and work?

In SLAM 3111, you study the impact of AI first on society broadly, then on specific industries, and then on individual people. Through lectures, research, discussion, and debate, you work out the economic, cultural, and strategic implications and how to create value in an AI-influenced world.

You leave with a toolkit of strategies to navigate and lead.

AI and Society at Tulane, paper collage of one woman's day with AI: talking to a phone assistant at breakfast, reviewing AI drafts at work, and helping a teenager with homework on a laptop in the evening
4

questions

Asked about every topic

2

projects

One team, one individual

4.6

out of 5

Student course evaluations

4.8

out of 5

Instructor evaluations

The four questions

Every topic in the course is examined through the same four questions.

The four questions of AI and Society, paper collage of four petals showing a path ahead, a balance scale, a connected city and a hand holding something of value
  1. 01

    Impact

    What is the impact of AI on this topic?

  2. 02

    Future

    What might the future impact be?

  3. 03

    Implications

    What are the implications of this change?

  4. 04

    Value

    Given these implications, how can we create value?

What it counts for

SLAM 3111 is part of both the Strategy, Leadership & Analytics Minor (SLAM) and the AI Literacy Minor. Confirm with your advisor how the course fits your degree plan.

Course requirements, paper collage of two puzzle pieces fitting together, an indigo piece with city buildings and a terracotta piece with a circuit, under a gold sun

The four parts of the semester

The four parts of the course, paper collage of a path from a student exploring AI, past a city and people in discussion, through industry panels, to one person walking toward the sunset
  1. Part 1

    Foundations

    The general impact of AI, AI capabilities, the most important AI tools, and general strategies for creating value. The first two weeks.

  2. Part 2

    AI and Society

    The impact of AI on Education, Learning, Work, Workers, Science, Technology, Politics, Government, OUR Environment and THE Environment.

  3. Part 3

    Industries

    Teams, including yours, lead the class through their industries in two rounds: first the past and present, then the future.

  4. Part 4

    The individual

    Individual presentations, a summary of the course, and a look at the future.

AI and Society

Paper collage of a student and teacher at an open book whose pages rise into stairs

Education & learning

How will people learn when every student has an AI tutor?

Paper collage of two workers fitting blocks together beneath two diverging arrows

Work & workers

Which jobs does AI change, and which does it create?

Paper collage of a microscope linked to a doctor comforting a patient

Science & technology

What happens when AI speeds up discovery?

Paper collage of a hand casting a ballot in front of a columned building, beneath two linked speech bubbles

Politics & government

How does AI change elections, debate, and government?

Paper collage of a home and a data center beside a river under a large oak, linked by a thread of light

Our environment & the environment

How does AI affect our surroundings and the planet?

Team project in AI and Society, paper collage of a student team presenting the film industry to classmates, with a storyboard, cameras and film reels

The team project

  • One industry per teamYour team takes ownership of one industry and becomes the class’s expert on it, representing it in class activities throughout the semester.
  • Session one: past and presentYour team leads a class session on how the industry got where it is and how AI is affecting it now.
  • Session two: the futureLater in the semester, your team leads a second session on where the industry is heading.

The individual project

You research the impact of AI on one person, the implications of that impact, and the strategic decisions that person faces.

  • Choose the personYourself, someone you know (with an interview and your own analysis, including where you disagree), or a fictional persona.
  • Pitch itA short recorded pitch, looking into the camera with no slides, on who you chose and what you want to find out.
  • Present itA short live presentation in class, without a script, followed by questions.
Individual project in AI and Society, paper collage of a student interviewing a tailor in his workshop, with her pitch recorded on a phone
Class discussion in AI and Society, paper collage of five students debating around a table with their laptops closed

How class works

  • Flipped classroomYou review readings and videos before class, and class time goes to discussion, debate, and exercises.
  • Screen down and screen upScreen down is the default, with laptops closed. Laptops are opened only when screen up is announced, and phones are not used at any time.
  • Low-stakes in-class assignmentsFrequent assignments, each with a small effect on the final grade.
  • No final examGrades come from the team project, the individual project, in-class assignments, participation, and peer assessment.
  • What to bringA laptop, pen, and paper. A paid AI subscription and The Economist are recommended, not required.
Checking AI against sources, paper collage of a student at a desk at night with a laptop, gold threads linking the AI answer to a newspaper, a report and a book, with one thread hanging loose

Using AI in this course

You are expected to use AI, and to discuss which tools you used, how, and how they performed. Every claim needs credible data and an inline reference to its source. An AI tool alone is not a credible source.

When it’s offered

SLAM 3111 runs in person during the regular semester. In Spring 2027 there are two sections, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 12:30 and at 2:00.

Paper collage of four students walking along a path toward a city connected by threads of light

The instructor

Knud E. Berthelsen

Knud Berthelsen is a Professor of Practice at Tulane University and Senior Advisor for AI Literacy at the Connolly Alexander Institute for Data Science. He also teaches DATA 2150 Artificial Intelligence Tools and SLAM 2031 Applied Data Analysis, and consults for and trains organizations on how AI works and how to work with it. Before focusing on AI, he spent a decade teaching international strategy and new venture management at Tulane's Freeman School of Business.

More in his CV and on the Teaching page. Questions about the course? Contact Professor Berthelsen.