Scribner Seminar Program
Course Description

Can Machines Think?

Instructor(s): Tom O'Connell, Computer Science

Can machines think? To help us answer this question, we will study the history of artificial intelligence, a field that influences and is influenced by many disciplines, including computer science, economics, philosophy, psychology, biology, and neuroscience. We will consider the problems that researchers in artificial intelligence attempt to solve. In addition, we will explore the techniques used to develop intelligent machines by writing our own simple computer programs that play games, learn, and evolve. No previous programming experience is ‑ required. (The capacity to think is a must, however.)