📖 Module 1: Recommended Resources
What is GenAI?
How to Use This Resource Library
This resource library is organized into three tiers — Essential, Recommended, and Optional — to help you plan your available class time and meet your students’ needs. Essential materials form the core of the module and directly address the learning outcomes. Recommended materials add depth. Optional materials extend the module or offer additional support to students.
The materials below are the Recommended resources for Module 1. Each entry includes a brief description to help you decide how and when to use it.
History of GenAI
The Recommended materials for Module 1 focus on the history of artificial intelligence — where it came from, how it evolved, and what key moments shaped the technology students are using today. These materials work well as pre-class reading or homework, or as the basis for discussion activities.
💻 Instructor Preparation
Review these materials before teaching the history of GenAI. They provide the background context you need to lead discussion and answer student questions with confidence.
📚 Readings
History of Artificial Intelligence (Encyclopedia Britannica) 🔗[https://www.britannica.com/science/history-of-artificial-intelligence]
A comprehensive overview of the history of artificial intelligence from its origins to the present. Covers key figures, milestones, and turning points in the field. Useful as a thorough reference before teaching the history component of this module.
The Brief History of Artificial Intelligence: The World Has Changed Fast — What Might Be Next? (Our World in Data) 🔗 [https://ourworldindata.org/brief-history-of-ai]
A data- and image-driven overview of the history of artificial intelligence, tracing rapid developments and projecting what might come next. The visualizations are particularly useful for illustrating the pace of change to students.
📽️ Videos
Deep Blue Beats G. Kasparov (1997) 🔗 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJarxpYyoFI]
Footage of the historic 1997 chess match in which IBM’s Deep Blue defeated world chess champion Garry Kasparov — a landmark moment in the history of artificial intelligence. An in-class discussion anchor for questions about what it means for a machine to “think.”
ELIZA Wins Foundational Peabody Award 🔗 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25qBz-b8zA4] Documents the recognition of ELIZA, one of the earliest natural language processing programs, developed by Joseph Weizenbaum at MIT in the 1960s. Useful for grounding discussions about the origins of conversational AI and how far the technology has come.
Note: The videos listed in the Essential Materials also provide relevant historical context for GenAI and can be used alongside these resources.
📝 Student Materials
The following materials can be assigned before class, used during class, or processed through small group or full class discussion.
📚 Readings
History of Artificial Intelligence (Encyclopedia Britannica) 🔗 [https://www.britannica.com/science/history-of-artificial-intelligence]
(See full description under Instructor Preparation above.) Can be assigned as pre-class reading or completed independently during class. Works well as a reference text for the discussion questions below.
The Brief History of Artificial Intelligence (Our World in Data) 🔗 [https://ourworldindata.org/brief-history-of-ai]
(See full description under Instructor Preparation above.) The data visualizations make this particularly engaging for students who respond well to visual storytelling. Can be assigned as homework or explored in class.
📽️ Videos
Deep Blue Beats G. Kasparov (1997) 🔗 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJarxpYyoFI]
(See full description under Instructor Preparation above.) Can be shown in class as a discussion starter or assigned as homework before a history-focused class session.
ELIZA Wins Foundational Peabody Award 🔗 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25qBz-b8zA4]
(See full description under Instructor Preparation above.) Can be shown in class or assigned as homework. Pairs well with the ELIZA website below.
🕸️ Websites
ELIZA — Joseph Weizenbaum’s Original Program 🔗 [https://sites.google.com/view/elizagen-org/About]
A website dedicated to Joseph Weizenbaum’s ELIZA program, one of the earliest examples of natural language processing. Provides historical context and, in some versions, allows users to interact with a recreation of the original program, a way to connect the history of GenAI to students’ own experiences with chatbots today.
The Brief History of Artificial Intelligence (Our World in Data) 🔗 [https://ourworldindata.org/brief-history-of-ai]
(See full description under Instructor Preparation above.) Can be assigned for independent exploration or used in class for data-driven discussion.
History of AI (World Economic Forum) 🔗 [https://www.weforum.org/stories/2024/10/history-of-ai-artificial-intelligence]
The World Economic Forum’s overview of the history of artificial intelligence. Includes hyperlinks and embedded videos offering additional context. Useful as a supplementary resource for students who want a broader perspective on how GenAI has developed globally.
💬 Discussion Questions
The following questions can be used to process the history materials in class discussion, small groups, or as written reflection prompts.
- What surprised you about these early attempts at GenAI?
- How did ELIZA and Deep Blue learn?
- What did ELIZA know?
- What did Deep Blue know?
- How are these early GenAI programs similar to or different from the GenAI interactions you have had?
- What are the most interesting moments in GenAI history?
- What are the most important moments in GenAI history?
- What parts of GenAI history most intrigue you?
