Curriculum descant: A new life for AI artifacts

e live in a time when funding for basic research, especially research on artificial intelligence (AI), also includes an evaluation or deliverable component. In most cases, the deliverable is a demonstration , a proof of concept, or an implementation of a prototype. Generally relegated to use within research labs/groups and reporting of results in various symposia, such artifacts tend to live a minimal existence. Some artifacts barely make it to the final demo. Several artifacts are being constantly used and serve as platforms for further research. Some of them have existed now for several years and have undergone enhancements, rewrites, and even complete reimplementations. I want to bring to your attention the arti-facts that you or your colleagues may have created and that are used in your research labs. I would like to appeal to you to bring these arti-facts into your classrooms. Incorporate them into your lab assignments and have your AI students get some experience with them. AI artifacts that exist in research labs can serve as excellent tools to help bring research into the classroom. They can be used in various ways: as demos that show off the state of the art, as working artifacts of theories discussed in texts, as laboratory exercises where students learn to use them, as case studies for studying concepts, as platforms for developing other AI artifacts. All together, a rich set of pedagogical devices can be available to enhance students' experience with AI. My proposal is not necessarily novel. Most instructors use some AI artifacts in one way or another. My appeal here is to focus energies into extending the boundaries of use of these artifacts. If you or your research group has produced an AI artifact, it would be worthwhile examining its use in the classroom. For example, is it something you can share with undergraduate students? With graduate stu-dents? In what form? Can you give a demo during a lecture? Would a short video clip suf-fice? Could the students operate it themselves? What types of lab assignment would highlight the main features of the artifact? Could it be used for students to do development work? The use of AI artifacts in the classroom requires planning and effort at different levels. The primary responsibility rests with the creators. First they have to try to answer some of the preceding questions in order to help create appropriate pedagogical materials. Next the …