Instructions

  1. Review Session 1 materials.
  2. Accept the invite to the class mailing list. If you prefer a different e-mail, let me know.
  3. Complete the assignment as described on the Session 1 page and post a link to your work below. -- Due Friday, September 14

Assignment 1a

  1. Create a blog (or category on a blog) for the course. (You may use any means for publishing your assignments including, but not limited to, a GitHub markdown file, medium post, etc.) This wiki page has resources and information on creating your own blog. Additionally, here is some helpful information on privacy options for your blog.
  2. Read A People’s Guide to AI.
  3. Creating a blog post documenting and reflecting on the following exercises from A People’s Guide to AI.
  4. Add a link to your post on the Homework Wiki Page for Assignment 1a. You are welcome to post under a pseudonym or alias.

My Response

3a. When you hear the words "Artificial Intelligence", what are the first four things that come to your mind? (p.11)

language manipulation I’m currently taking a class called “Patterns in language” which is talking about mL/AI in relation to linguistics. Last semester, I also took a course where we were required to used Chat GPT for some assignments. I know that image/video generation are also advancing quickly, but for now, the most developed and impressive seem to be related to language.
Sentience, Consciousness For the same class last semester, there was a unit about AI’s and sentience. What might sentient AI really desire? Will they want to enslave humanity or will they feel indifference like the omnipotent Cthullu?
Robots and the Post-human I did a project last semester where I wrote a short story exploring robot rights, ethics, and the 2 components to create a seemingly ‘self aware’ robot: the physical body and the ‘brain.’ The story explored using AI/robots as a ‘life extension’ tool and whether or not it maters if a robot or AI is truly sentient if it can spur true human emotion and belief. Further, where does the ‘human’ end and the ‘robot’ or ‘artificial intelligence’ end? Human’s are very easy to fool and have trouble thinking beyond our set of beliefs. If we create a system powerful enough, it’s likely to be able to fool us without us even knowing (or even caring).
Understanding alternate Intelligences I have been interested in / doing research about if / how AI / ML might be able to help ‘enhance’ child intelligences so that ‘adults’ may understand them better. The concept that ‘maybe we do not acknowledge alternate intelligences is that we are unable to communicate with them’ is very interesting to me. I know there are some things that children/babies can do better than / differently from us us (eg. Facial differentiation, learning new things). Understanding alternate intelligences will allow us to 1: apply different strategies to benefit ourselves 2: learn how to better ‘help’ other intelligences. Actually, it is really similar to ‘Understanding others helps us understand ourselves.”

3b. Answer the questions from the "Everyday AI Activity" on pages 23-28 of the A People’s Guide to AI.

hw1a.pdf