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Winter 2026

  • 01 – Physical Activity and Aging Study
  • 02 – Understanding Global Climate Change
  • 03 – Ames Celebrates the Nation’s Centennial
  • 04 – Lessons from the Great Depression
  • 05 – Benjamin Franklin–The Wise and Witty Founding Father
  • 06 – Volunteer Community Radio; Learn to Interview/Produce Your Own Program
  • 07 – Only Hope: My Mother and the Holocaust Brought to Light
  • 08 – The Growth of Presidential Powers in Foreign Policy-Making
  • 09 – It’s Not What You Said! It’s How You Said It! The Role of Nonverbal Communication in Our Interactions With Others
  • 10 – Nineteenth Century Europe, 1815-1914
  • 11 – Demystifying AI
  • 12 – Mediterranean Diet (Science and Recipes)
  • 13 – Yikes (Data Breaches, Compromised Accounts, etc.)
  • 14 – Spotlight on Ames Non-Profits
  • 15 – Cover Crops: Green Fields, Clear Water
  • 16 – Managing Your Digital Stuff
  • 17 – Beyond the Game: How Athletics Academic Services Shape the Lives and Futures of Iowa State Athletes
  • 18 – Understanding Iowa’s Emerging Water Crisis
  • 19 – Parkinson’s Disease and Dementia: Normal Aging vs. Differential Diagnoses
  • 20 – AI and The Human Future
  • 21 – Authentic Italian Home Cooking: Valentine’s Day Dinner
  • 22 – Advancing Food Safety Awareness for People Over 50
  • 23 – Discussion About Ultra-Processed Foods
  • 24 – From Icons to Perestroika: A History of Visual Culture
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  • 20 – AI and The Human Future

20 – AI and The Human Future

At a Glance

Time

Two weeks:
Wednesday, Jan. 21 – 28, 2026
3 – 4:30 p.m. CT

Cost

$40.00

Location

Online with Zoom
Class limit 55+

Course Description

This course focuses on the big ethical and philosophical issues surrounding artificial intelligence. What exactly is AI? What are the biggest promises and perils? What does the future of humanity hold as we move through this technological revolution? Neither pro-AI nor anti-AI, this course is intended to get people thinking more deeply about the central issues raised by the new technology and how they might relate to it in their own lives.

Instructor

Scott Samuelson holds a joint position at Iowa State University in Philosophy & Religious Studies and Extension and Outreach. The author of three books, including “The Deepest Human Life: An Introduction to Philosophy for Everyone,” he’s currently part of the Ethical AI Workshop with the Translational Center at ISU.

Iowa State University of Science and Technology
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Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

2624 Howe Hall,
537 Bissell Road
Ames, IA

Heather Bristow, hbristow@iastate.edu

Phone: (515) 294-5790

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