Skip to content

Dave Ferrucci, Computer Scientist

Seeing the Future (Season Two) - Available 01/13/25

Overview

Back
Dave Ferrucci, Computer Scientist - Seeing the Future (Season Two) - Available 01/13/25 - Lessons - Life Stories Interviews

"The persistence to work against the odds in my life produced
extraordinary value." - Dave Ferrucci, The Thread

Dave Ferrucci takes us on the intensely personal journey that led him to become one of the world’s leading architects of artificial intelligence. In this episode, we are in conversation with a true visionary whose unique gift is his ability to put technology in human terms that help us see the future with hope and excitement.

 

Watch "Seeing the Future" - Available 01/13/25

Download Lesson

Lesson Objectives

Social Studies

* Explore the changes in generational expectations over the past century

* Define large language models and AI

* Examine the evolution of AI in education and society

* Analyze the impact of technology on individual lives, the workplace, and society as a whole

English Language Arts Focus

* Examine perspective taking from the point of view of one computer scientist

* Analyze the structure and purpose of a narrative, identify key themes in the episode, and synthesize information from a spoken text

* Analyze, reflect on, and discuss the title “Seeing the Future” after watching the episode

* Explore the idea of purposeful work and a meaningful life

* Use Dave Ferrucci’s episode as inspiration for a creative writing assignment

Social Emotional Learning: By offering engaging personal narratives, students can discuss and strengthen the five SEL competencies - self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.

Media Literacy: Students will practice media literacy skills by analyzing information, points of view, and claims made in The Thread and be able to translate these strategies with all forms of media to make more informed decisions.

Dave Ferrucci, Computer Scientist - Seeing the Future (Season Two) - Available 01/13/25 - Lessons - Life Stories Interviews

First Take >

The “First Take” activity is a warm-up writing or conversation exercise created uniquely for The Thread to strengthen media literacy skills. Like an opening song in a musical, the first stanza of a poem, or even the first impression one person makes on another, the “First Take” asks students to reflect and share their initial thoughts and feelings about the episode’s opening and why the filmmaker and editor made these choices.

Download Dave Ferrucci’s lesson to access the complete “First Take” activity.

Dave Ferrucci, Computer Scientist - Seeing the Future (Season Two) - Available 01/13/25 - Lessons - Life Stories Interviews

The Thread Up Close >

After watching the interview, students will debrief and discuss the life story and engage in a close read and analysis of his interview using the “Seeing the Future” episode and transcript.

In this lesson, the suggested close connects directly with any lesson on AI (artificial intelligence) as Dave Ferrucci, one of AI’s early developers, offers this unique insight about the technology.

Download the lesson to access “The Thread Up Close” activity.

Dave Ferrucci, Computer Scientist - Seeing the Future (Season Two) - Available 01/13/25 - Lessons - Life Stories Interviews

"Seeing the Future" >

In this activity students will analyze the meaning of the lesson’s title by writing a short story from the perspective of an AI system in the future. The story should explain how AI interacts with the characters, the ethical challenges it faces, and the ways it works to help humanity 

Download the lesson to access the entire “Seeing the Future” activity

Resources

See lesson for resources.

Back To Top