Explain
Describe core AI concepts, automation pressures, and why AI governance is now a public issue.
Course home
The Turbulent Road to AI Rule and a World Without Work
A guided seminar on artificial intelligence, labor, governance, meaning, and civic life, based on Stephen Christopher Rose's Crossing the Rubicon.
Purpose
Help students think clearly about the human stakes of artificial intelligence.
The course is designed for adult learners who want a serious, readable, discussion-driven way to understand automation, data power, algorithmic authority, and the prospect of a post-work society.
At a glance
- Format: seminar, guided discussion, and short reflection prompts.
- Length: suggested 8 sessions, adjustable to 4 or 6.
- Materials: selected chapters, short articles, and optional video/audio resources.
- Accessibility: large-print handouts, transcripts for media, and no required technical background.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
Evaluate
Compare optimistic, pessimistic, and reform-minded views of AI's effects on work and democratic life.
Discuss
Participate in informed conversation about human purpose, education, community, and policy in an AI-shaped society.
Draft syllabus
Eight-session structure
| Session | Topic | Core question |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crossing the Rubicon | What makes this moment different from earlier technological revolutions? |
| 2 | Machines, labor, and displacement | What kinds of work are most exposed, and what remains human? |
| 3 | Data power and surveillance | Who controls the data that trains and governs intelligent systems? |
| 4 | Algorithmic governance | When do automated decisions become political authority? |
| 5 | Economics after work | What would dignity, income, and contribution mean in a post-work society? |
| 6 | Education and adaptation | How should adults and institutions learn in an age of accelerating change? |
| 7 | Human purpose | What gives life meaning if paid work becomes less central? |
| 8 | Civic choices | What local, national, and personal choices matter now? |
Teacher assistant
Give students a safe place to ask questions between sessions.
The course chatbot should answer from the course syllabus, explain concepts in plain language, suggest reflection questions, and encourage students to bring deeper disagreements back to class.