The course explores the intersection between Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the humanities, addressing symbolic, subsymbolic, and generative paradigms. It aims to provide Digital Humanities students with both theoretical and practical skills to understand and apply AI techniques for the enhancement, accessibility, and analysis of cultural heritage. A significant part of the course is dedicated to hands-on labs, where students use Python and generative AI tools (such as language models) to develop simple applications in the humanities domain. The Cyber Humanities framework guides the entire path, fostering critical and ethical reflection on AI use in relation to digital citizenship, social impact, and cultural transformation. The course prepares students to design innovative, responsible, and sustainable solutions for the digital cultural landscape.
Obiettivo del corso è quello di analizzare soluzioni che l’Intelligenza Artificiale e altre tecnologie innovative hanno prodotto per la tutela, fruizione e valorizzazione del patrimonio culturale. Si vuole inoltre di stimolare nuove soluzioni sia metodologiche che tecnologiche per consentire di catalizzare possibili interazioni e aggregazioni tra i vari soggetti impegnati a sviluppare nuove applicazioni nel settore dei beni culturali. Riprodurre siti culturali e renderli fruibili in modo diverso, anche attraverso il web, significa aprire nuove possibilità di sviluppo per la crescita civile ed economica dei territori. Nasce quindi la necessità di definire ruoli e connessioni, dove solo la ricerca e le nuove tecnologie possono suggerire percorsi e soluzioni competitive che integrino turismo e cultura da un lato, con impresa e mercato da un altro.
Knowledge and understanding: Students will gain a solid understanding of the theoretical foundations of artificial intelligence, including symbolic paradigms (knowledge representation, intelligent agents, search strategies), subsymbolic paradigms (machine learning, computer vision), and recent developments in generative AI. Particular attention will be devoted to how these technologies reshape the production and interpretation of knowledge in the humanities. The course is framed within the perspective of Cyber Humanities, which integrates computational competencies with humanistic sensitivity, encouraging critical reflection on algorithmic mediation, digital citizenship, bias, and the sustainability of innovation.
Applying knowledge: Students will be able to:
Making judgenents: Students will develop a reflective and critical approach, enabling them to:
Learning slills: The course supports the development of metacognitive awareness and autonomous learning, strengthening the ability to:
Learning Outcomes: By the end of the course, students will be able to:
Basic knowledge of programming in Python.
The course is organized according to two distinct categories of activities:
Class attendance, the materials used, and the exercises are all essential elements for proper preparation in this discipline. Therefore, it is recommended to attend the lectures and exercises, to carefully read and scrupulously follow the directions provided in the materials made available online on the teaching portal.
The laboratory will be held by the teacher in charge of the course, assisted by laboratory tutors. The laboratory activities will be carried out at the Computer Laboratory of the Savona Campus, and students will be divided into groups according to the capacity of the laboratory itself. Students will be required to book laboratory activities through the course portal. Only those who have made a reservation will be able to access the laboratory activities. The organization and dates of the laboratory activities will be communicated directly by the teacher at the beginning of the lessons and will be available on the course portal.
The teaching organization scheme results in 6 CFUs for a total of 150 hours of study-work.
Ricevimento: In classroom at the end of each class. By appointment on other days agreed by e-mail to the addresses made available in the individual modules.
GIOVANNI ADORNI (President)
GIANNI VIARDO VERCELLI
ILARIA TORRE (President Substitute)
https://easyacademy.unige.it/portalestudenti/
The timetable for this course is available here: EasyAcademy
In order to take the exam, the student must register online through the Student Portal at: https: //servizionline.unige.it/studenti/.
The exam consists of an individual interview on the course program and on the discussion of the project carried out.
In order to pass the exam, the student must:
- to produce a Disciplinary Thematic Glossary: for each lesson the student is asked to create (and gradually enrich and refine) a glossary of disciplinary keywords; - to develop a thematic project assigned by the teacher during the course.
Students with disabilities or learning disorders are allowed to use specific modalities and supports that will be determined on a case-by-case basis in agreement with the Delegate of the Engineering courses in the Committee for the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities. Students are invited to contact the teacher of this course and copy the Delegate (https://unige.it/commissioni/comitatoperlinclusionedeglistudenticondisabilita.html).
