BMET 21A05 - The art of reasoning with data and AI

At a time when liberal democracies are weakened by ideological polarization and the rise of populist

movements challenging institutional checks and balances as well as the foundations of rational debate

(Trumpism, the Bolsonaro episode, the AfD, etc.), it is becoming vital for future political, administrative, and

academic leaders—who are often unfamiliar with scientific fundamentals, particularly in statistics—to acquire

a basic grasp of such tools in order to define a framework for contributing to informed debate and evidence-

based decision-making.

This course aims to provide them with that foundation through the lens of mathematical modeling.

Concretely, it offers a rigorous methodology and a practical introduction to statistical modeling, taught

through its logical application in structuring arguments and fostering debate. The objective is to equip

students with practical tools that will allow them to analyze, interpret, and critically assess the use of data in

their future professional environments, whether in strategy, economics, consulting, or public affairs

management.

No math prerequisites are required.

No math prerequisites are required.

With the help of AI-assisted applications, students will learn to build, and interpret simple economic models,

while developing a critical stance on the limitations and biases inherent in these models.

Together we will reproduce the econometric article by Daron Acemoglu, recipient of the 2024 Nobel Prize. It

will serve as one of the course's central threads, alongside more operational examples drawn from the

corporate world and public sector. Through these applications, the course also offers students keys to

understanding the mathematical foundations behind how artificial intelligence operates.

The overarching ambition of this course is to enable students to become autonomous, clear-sighted, and

critical actors in the use of data—capable of shaping the framework of public debate and decision-making at

a time when perceptions of reality are increasingly influenced and polarized by the subjective interpretations

of both populist opinion leaders and the prophets of artificial intelligence and big data.