“Hello. Would you like to be friends?” This may seem innocent coming from a new roommate; but what if it came from your computer? From Hebrew golems to ‘Ex Machina;’ people have been both fascinated and terrified of animating the inanimate. Are we ready for technology to become sentient? Are the fears of Bill Gates and Stephen Hawking justified; or should we look to the hopeful solutions of Larry Page? This course explores early fascination with AI and where the future might be headed. Readings include contemporary science fiction like ‘Mindscan’ and ‘Existence.’ Students are expected to lead discussions related to weekly topics and present a project on modern AI.
Prerequisites
Be in the Honors Program