This course gives you context and first-hand experience with the two major catalyzers of the computational science revolution: big data and artificial intelligence. With more than 99% of all mediated information in digital format and with 98% of the world population using digital technology, humanity produces an impressive digital footprint. In theory, this provides unprecedented opportunities to understand and shape society. In practice, the only way this information deluge can be processed is through using the same digital technologies that produced it. Data is the fuel, but machine learning it the motor to extract remarkable new knowledge from vasts amounts of data. Since an important part of this data is about ourselves, using algorithms in order to learn more about ourselves naturally leads to ethical questions. Therefore, we cannot finish this course without also talking about research ethics and about some of the old and new lines computational social scientists have to keep in mind. As hands-on labs, you will use IBM Watson’s artificial intelligence to extract the personality of people from their digital text traces, and you will experience the power and limitations of machine learning by teaching two teachable machines from Google yourself.
PJ
Excellent course. Helps in developing a good base in artificial intelligence for beginners. The explanations and lectures are very clear and understandable. Won't bore the listeners.
EJ
This course is really very interesting.I have learned a lot about big data,artificial intelligence and ethics.
AG
This is a very comprehensive course that gives a very good understanding of what we mean by Big Data, how it is utilized and relevance to the data and AI in our lufe.
AS
It's very good course!. it is equipped with basic information about big data and AI that for common person (never learnt about AI before) like me is easily to understand.
MB
I really enjoyed Martin's presentation style and his clear enthusiasm and knowledge about the topic, thank you.
R
Overall, good and informative content. Production quality and supplemental materials could be improved upon, however. Also, some quizzes are not always clear...
PC
i m very grateful to learn big things in simple way, with experienced prof from various streams. impact was mind storming by peer reviews and solving assignment.
PH
Volume and speed of recordings are not as good. Needed to follow text most of the time, except for Dr Hilbert.
BU
I was expecting more about the ethics side of AI, from the critical point of view. Besides, some quiz questions were not clear enough. But anyway, I learnt a lot of things.
MA
Excellent course, lots of interesting concepts covering the field of artificial intelligence and a welcomed take on research ethics.
EV
Course was very beneficial and eye-opening. I could not find some of the last Module's lessons we were asked to review when submitting our answers though I watched all the videos.
BS
The course gave me absolutely great insights into AI & Big Data. Will definitely carry forward the discipline and will engage in an advanced level course.
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Excellent course. Helps in developing a good base in artificial intelligence for beginners. The explanations and lectures are very clear and understandable. Won't bore the listeners.
It's very good course!. it is equipped with basic information about big data and AI that for common person (never learnt about AI before) like me is easily to understand.
The course has been extremely useful to me. Especially inn developing interests in the filed of Big Data and AI. It also helped me to realize the moral and ethical responsibilities one needs to have while engaging in the fields.
A perfect course for beginners and non-computational professionals who are curious to explore Digital foot print, the state of the art Artificial Intelligence applications and the research ethics.
I like the specialization. It offers a quick first glance on many topics of computational social sciences but don't expect deep insights. I see the course as a point of reference to start exploring more sophisticated tools, methods, and theories. Again, prof. Hilbert is an entertaining lecturer and his collaborators add practical and theoretical expertise.
Be prepared that the peer-review process might take a couple of days.
Again, the tools used are simple and limited in scope, but a good opportunity to get your hands dirty.
Delighted with the content of the course, the pace and how much I've actually learnt. Even though I studied branches of AI (Genetics Algorithms, Neural Networks and Computer Vision) in my degree, this course has provided me an incredible current and relevant understanding that has changed how I think and feel about AI.
With everything that's going on, I truly believe this is a "must do" for everybody who wants yo understand how the world works today and in the future. Well done University of California putting this course together.
A very informative and well designed course. Strongly recommended for beginners in computational social science with no prior background in coding. Especially liked the NLP task and the lectures of AI and Big data ! Kudos to the hard work of course organizers who presented the vast /seemingly complex topic in a simple manner .
Thank you for this very interesting program. However, I think that reflection could go even further on ethics, by also tackling the legality aspect, since the law often lags behind practice.
Volume and speed of recordings are not as good. Needed to follow text most of the time, except for Dr Hilbert.
The course is great and it helps to get us an idea about what this AI is all about
The course is very good and recommendable. However, it is more about history, evolution, implications, research, and ethical implications of AI and ML.
As per the description, it is for basic understanding and social-science oriented
The course provides an overall introduction to the theme and it is quite helpful. However, there were some videos with a very poor sound and it was necessary to add subtitles to understand better.
You can't complete the course because https://perceymademe.ai/ is not functional and without that module 3 assignments can’t e completed. So, I had to use AI slop to cheat on that assignment because neither the course maker nor coursera cares to fix this.
I expected it to give a brief knowledge about AI and big data with the help of coding, but it only showed the past of it and its ethics, which was not quite helpful.
This course provided a comprehensive and thoughtful introduction to Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, and research ethics, with a strong emphasis on real‑world implications. One of the key strengths of the course was how it connected technical concepts—such as data collection, AI decision‑making, and NLP—to social, ethical, and policy concerns. This helped move beyond a purely technical understanding and highlighted why responsible use of AI matters. The discussions on digital footprints, bias, transparency, and fairness were particularly impactful. They challenged the assumption that data and algorithms are neutral and showed how historical data can reinforce inequality if ethical considerations are ignored. Case studies and examples made abstract ethical principles easier to understand and relevant to modern applications like hiring, healthcare, education, and governance.
I wanted to express my sincere appreciation for the excellent course Big Data, Artificial Intelligence and Ethics. Throughout the course, Professor Hilbert consistently kept me engaged with clear explanations, relevant examples, and thoughtfully designed lectures that connected theory to real-world applications. Thank you for creating such a meaningful and enriching learning experience!
this course is waaayy better than I expected. the lecturer are great. I personally like how Prof. Hibert delivers the course. Many things need to be learned. How fast the technologies and how powerful big data is a quite creepy but I hope whoever has access to it can always use it in a good way
Excellent course. I obtained the required tools to participate in Big Data, AI and Ethics forums and contribute to my work team.
Excellent speakers, good material, very easy to understand and I liked the interactive part with other students
Absolutely loved the course content. The section on Ethics was absolutely brilliant with case studies and in depth explanations! My only wish was that was longer!
Thankyou for such a wonderful curated course!
Given a high score and it provides a great deal for Big Data and Ethics. I would expect a bit more for AIm but overall, a nice course if you don't have the time to technically deep dive into these areas.