CHILL at IPH 2026

AI: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly In Charlotte and Around The World

Tue, Jul 14 · 10:00 AM EDT

The Independent Picture House, 4237 Raleigh Street ,, Charlotte, NC, US

You must register for this on the IPH website
Location: Independent Picture House
Dates: July 14 and 16; July 21 and 23. 4 Sessions (2 Hours Each, with Intermission)
All classes start at 10am and are done by 12pm and take place at IPH.
Registration: $150 (for an entire session to attend all four courses). You must register for this on the IPH website

Artificial Intelligence is changing everything. It’s time to look behind the screen.
We see it in the headlines every day. We watch it in science fiction films. But what is AI, really—and how is it actually reshaping our daily lives, our work, and our world?
Skip the dense textbooks and the confusing coding tutorials. Join us at IPH for a ground-level, highly visual introduction to Artificial Intelligence, designed specifically for the general public. Utilizing the power of the big screen, immersive audio, and live, interactive demonstrations, this four-part series strips away the technical jargon to give you real-world AI literacy.
No tech background required.

### The Feature Presentation: What You’ll Learn

• Session 1: Demystifying AI: Hollywood vs. Reality
  We start by separating science fiction from science fact. Discover the massive difference between conscious movie robots and the practical AI tools you are already using every day to navigate traffic, filter email, and stream entertainment. Love Actually taught us that perhaps Love is all around, but we now contemplate whether AI is, instead.
• Session 2: Under the Hood: How Machines "Learn"
  How does a computer learn without being explicitly programmed? We’ll explore the mechanics of "machine learning" and neural networks—completely math- and code-free. We will also explore the moments when AI goes astray, and machine learning does not work. Mostly because your professor finds it funny (and instructive).
• Session 3: Interactive with Generative AI
  Take a deep dive into the world of ChatGPT, Google Gemini, image generators, and other LLMs. Learn exactly how these tools predict human language, how to use this knowledge to your advantage, and master the basics of how to talk to AI to get the results you want. We will discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly of these interactions. Hands-on sessions will be paired with discussions of real-life examples.
• Session 4: Ethics, Impact, and the Environment
  We tackle the big questions. From the rise of deepfakes and algorithmic bias to the future of the workforce, learn how to spot AI-generated misinformation. We will discuss and examine examples of misinformation and AI fakes (including cute animal videos and weird World Cup promotions), and why people are quite so annoyed at the rise of data centers.

### Who Is This Course For?

• The Curious Citizen: Anyone who wants to understand the technology shaping our headlines, our politics, and our culture.
• The Concerned Parent: What is this technology that seems to be affecting schooling at all ages and levels?
• The Lifelong Learner: Readers, thinkers, and tech-skeptics alike who want a thoughtful, clear-eyed understanding of the 21st century's biggest technological shift.

You must register for this on the IPH website
More information can be found here: https://independentpicturehouse.org/movies/ai-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-in-charlotte-and-around-the-world/

All CHILL at IPH classes:

• Are taught by faculty with distinguished records of teaching and research.

• Are designed to be accessible to all students, no matter what they may know or not know about the class’s topic.

• Have minimal homework and no formal tests.

• Include “CHILL time” when classmates can talk informally with each other and their professor about class content.