CMP2020M – Workshop 1
This workshop is an introductory one and you’ll engage in it as a team. Get together in teams of 3-5 (easiest would be to just work as a team with all the other students your share the row with in the lab today). This workshop is not about programming, but about research and some critical reflection on AI.
Definitions in AI
Read the introduction of Callan’s book (available in the resources of today’s workshop) and provide a definition in your own words (max 2 sentences each) of: Expert systems
knowledge-based systems
classical AI connectionist AI.
Present your definition to the demonstrators. Explain the differences between classical and connectionist AI.
Capabilities of AI today
Examine the AI literature to discover whether computers can currently solve the following tasks. Have a look at the university’s Harvard referencing guidelines (in the assessment section on blackboard), and pick three of the following tasks that you can find a reference for and write it down in Harvard style. As this is a group effort, you may share the research between yourself (e.g. each researching two tasks and reporting back to the others).
• Buying a week’s worth of groceries at the market.
• Buying a week’s worth of groceries on the Web.
• Playing a decent game of bridge at a competitive level.
• Discovering and proving new mathematical theorems.
• Writing an intentionally funny story.
• Giving competent legal advice in a specialized area of law.
• Translating spoken English into spoken Swedish in real time.
• Performing a complex surgical operation.
Chatbots
One typical application aiming at accomplishing the Turing test are Chatbots. Have a look at the list of some chatbots at http://nlp-addiction.com/chatbot/ or at http://www.mitsuku.com/ or http://elbot_e.csoica.artificial-solutions.com/cgi- bin/elbot.cgi and try to have a conversation with them about
1. Your feelings (or pretended feelings, obviously) 2. Politics
3. Weather
Which area are they better in and why? What do you think, is happening underneath? Also read http://io9.gizmodo.com/5901579/10-tricks-that-chatbots-use-to-make-you- believe-theyre-human to understand some of their tricks better.
The ongoing debate
Many AI researcher have signed an open letter recently, calling for some changes in funding and doing research in AI: http://futureoflife.org/misc/open_letter
a) Read the open letter and summarise its main statements as you understand them in your group
b) Now read the following public media sites articles/broadcasts relating to this letter and the ongoing debate (you may need headphone for the media, if these are not available in your group, concentrate on the written articles):
a. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/22/artificial-intelligence- oxford_n_5689858.html
b. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-30290540
c. http://bcove.me/lx1vix8x (broadcast)
c) In your team identify three main arguments in support and against the belief
that “Artificial Intelligence May Doom The Human Race Within A Century”, each. Tell you demonstrators which three main arguments you have identified.