Societal and Technical Foundations of Agentic AI

This unit examines the cultural, ethical, social, environmental, educational, and technical foundations of agentic AI, connecting first principles of intelligence to real-world impacts. Building on introductory concepts from Unit 1, students will evaluate broad consequences and prepare practical mitigation and design strategies that feed into the more technical and applied work in subsequent units.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze cultural, ethical, and social implications of agentic AI by comparing at least three case studies and identifying affected stakeholders, risks, and mitigation strategies
• Evaluate environmental and labor-market impacts of agentic AI by estimating likely positive and negative outcomes and prioritizing interventions to minimize harm and maximize societal benefit
• Demonstrate understanding of agentic AI concepts by explaining agentic architectures, the first principles of intelligence, the Agent Intelligence Pyramid, and major technical challenges in a structured written report or presentation
• Apply responsible-design and educational strategies to develop and justify at least two practical guidelines or curriculum/workforce recommendations that address ethical, social, and technical considerations in games and simulation contexts