AI and the Humanities: Designing Empathy into Digital Interactions - evening class

This course explores the design and implementation of Artificial Intelligence systems that foster politeness, cooperation, and human-centred communication.

Guided by Dr Tatiana Codreanu, participants will delve into the cultural and ethical considerations of building polite AI, drawing from the fields of sociology, linguistics, philosophy and cognitive psychology.

The course is designed to enable learners to gain practical experience designing AI systems that demonstrate empathy, respect and cultural sensitivity, alongside equipping participants with a strong theoretical understanding of these principles.

Each class is practical and hands-on. We use Discord for communication and to share learning materials throughout the course.

This course is ideal for professionals, educators and innovators interested in designing AI tools that prioritize humane and effective communication.

Basic familiarity with AI apps, such as ChatGPT, DeepSeek, or Gemini would be useful. If new to such tools, please visit chat.deepseek.com and experiment by asking it questions.

Reading material or special equipment needed (if any)

We recommend bringing to class a laptop with a recent operating system, as the course includes hands-on work with AI tools and AI agents that are not fully supported on tablets or iPads.

Term dates

•  Summer Term: week beginning 27 April 2026 until week ending 19 June 2026

Any questions?

If you have any questions about the content of this course please contact the tutor, Dr Tatiana Codreanu at t.codreanu@imperial.ac.uk

If you have any questions about enrolment please contact the Imperial after:hours Administrator, Christian Jacobi at c.jacobi@imperial.ac.uk

Class Recordings

These classes are not recorded

Attendance Certificate

Successful completion of this course leads to the award of an Imperial College attendance certificate

Terms and conditions apply to all enrolments to this course. Please read them before enrolment