A new course focused on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) across different fields will be offered at Stony Brook University starting in Spring 2026. The course, titled CDS222: All Ecologies, is designed to be accessible to students from all backgrounds and does not require prior knowledge of AI or a specific disciplinary focus.
Joseph Lemelin, assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy at the College of Arts and Sciences and the primary instructor for the course, said, “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. 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 professors whose research relates directly to AI. These guest lecturers come from departments including computer science, English and writing and rhetoric, communication, history, art, psychology, linguistics, and music. The aim is to introduce students to multiple ways of studying AI at Stony Brook University.
Matthew Salzano from the School of Communication and Journalism explained the purpose behind the class: “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. 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.”
The development of CDS222 was supported by seed funding from Stony Brook University’s AI Innovation Institute (AI3). The structure includes lectures on Mondays and Wednesdays focusing on core concepts as well as hands-on coding sessions during Friday recitations.
Students who enroll in CDS222 can fulfill two requirements within Stony Brook’s curriculum: “CER Practice & Respect Critical/Ethical Reasoning” and “TECH Understand Technology.” Registration for this course is now open.