Philosophy of AI

Administrative

Spring 2023
Time: Wednesdays and Fridays from 12:30 to 2:20pm
Location: PAR 220
Instructor: Jared Moore
Email: jlcmoore@cs.washington.edu
Office hours: Wednesdays 14:30 - 15:10 at the cafe in Parrington

Please do not hesitate to write to me about any accommodations or questions related to readings or course material.

Description

What does it mean to think? How are computers different from people? How are they the same? This is a seminar class about asking deep questions about intelligence and exploring their far-reaching consequences. Through daily readings, discussions, and a course project, students will survey the history of approaches in artificial intelligence as well as related disciplines like neuroscience, philosophy of mind, and psychology. We will cover concepts such as alignment, connectionism, consciousness, causation, generalizability, information, learning, and symbolism.

Objectives

By the end of this course students will:

  • be able to articulate various assumptions and ideas behind AI,
  • practice historically and culturally contextualizing those positions,
  • consider what progress in AI means,
  • recognize the gap between theory and actuality of AI,
  • challenge their own and others’ assumptions,
  • be prepared to interrogate novel claims about intelligence,
  • feel more confident being a part of an intellectual community,
  • and have fun.

Schedule

(may change up to a week in advance)

Padua, The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage, 2015
Padua, The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage, 2015
Magritte, The Treachery of Images, 1928
Magritte, The Treachery of Images, 1928
Cartwright, The Dappled World, 1999
Cartwright, The Dappled World, 1999
A composite of Meltzoff, Imitation of facial and manual gestures by human neonates, 1977 and Myowa‐Yamakoshi et al., Imitation in neonatal chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), 2004
A composite of Meltzoff, Imitation of facial and manual gestures by human neonates, 1977 and Myowa‐Yamakoshi et al., Imitation in neonatal chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), 2004
Hofstadter, I Am a Strange Loop, 2007
Hofstadter, I Am a Strange Loop, 2007
Mach, Inner Perspective, 1886
Mach, Inner Perspective, 1886
von Osten and Clever Hans, 1908
von Osten and Clever Hans, 1908
Moore, Cramming more components onto integrated circuits, 1965
Moore, Cramming more components onto integrated circuits, 1965
A Tamagotchi
A Tamagotchi
SRI International, Shakey, 1972
SRI International, Shakey, 1972

If you want to dive even deeper consider the readings and other courses beyond this class.