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Artificial Intelligence is becoming part of everyday life, from chatbots and search tools to creative assistants and workplace systems. But what makes an AI response feel helpful, respectful or even polite? How do culture, language and human expectations shape the way we interact with these tools?

In this practical and thought-provoking course, will introduce you to the fascinating question of how AI systems can be designed to communicate in more considerate, cooperative and human-centred ways. Drawing on ideas from sociology, linguistics, philosophy and cognitive psychology, you will explore how politeness, empathy and cultural sensitivity can be understood and built into AI interactions.

The course combines discussion, experimentation and hands-on activities. You will try out AI tools, reflect on how they respond, and develop your own ideas for creating more respectful and effective forms of human-AI communication.

No advanced technical knowledge is required, but some basic familiarity with AI tools such as ChatGPT, DeepSeek or Gemini will be helpful. If you are new to these, you may wish to try asking questions in an AI chatbot before the course begins.

Classes will be practical and interactive, and Discord will be used to share materials and support communication during the course.

Reading material or special equipment needed

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 may not be fully supported on tablets or iPads.

Class materials will be posted on Discord. Each week, we will also use Discord to discuss recent developments in AI.

Term dates

•  Summer term: TBC

For course content enquiries: Contact the course tutor, Dr Tatiana Codreanu, at t.codreanu@imperial.ac.uk

For enrolment and booking enquiries: Contact Christian Jacobi at c.jacobi@imperial.ac.uk

Class recordings

These classes are not recorded.

³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ certificates

This course has no exams or assessments, so you can focus on enjoying your learning. If you attend regularly, you may also receive an ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ attendance certificate. (T&Cs apply).