Summer Institute musings

On June 29, 2017 Sir Nigel Shadbolt, a professor of computer science at the University of Oxford and the principal of Jesus College, discussed with the Summer Institute students his research on artificial intelligence. Through discussions and several articles students were able to better understand the concept of artificial intelligence and the different perspectives it entails. Below is a student's reflection on meeting with Sir Nigel Shadbolt and their class discussions.  Last Thursday I was delighted to listen to Sir Nigel Shadbolt on the topic of artificial intelligence. I came into the meeting with a vague concept of the term, but the conference cleared up many things for me. Something that Sir Shadbolt clarified for me was the true definition of artificial “intelligence.” Although I thought some advanced AI systems seemed capable of sentience and emotion, that is not so. It is, and will always be incapable of making emotional and artistic choices; that is what differenti...

On June 29, 2017 Sir Nigel Shadbolt, a professor of computer science at the University of Oxford and the principal of Jesus College, discussed with the Summer Institute students his research on artificial intelligence. Through discussions and several articles students were able to better understand the concept of artificial intelligence and the different perspectives it entails. Below is a student's reflection on meeting with Sir Nigel Shadbolt and their class discussions.  The concept of artificial intelligence has always been an intriguing subject. Even the idea that a machine could learn and adapt on its own is interesting. Both the socratic seminar and the program with Sir Nigel had me deep in thought. The purpose of artificial intelligence is mainly to improve human lives in some way, whether it be working in hazardous areas so people don’t have to, or deciding which song to play next on Pandora. Introducing artificial intelligence into our daily life isn’t goi...

On June 29, 2017 Sir Nigel Shadbolt, a professor of computer science at the University of Oxford and the principal of Jesus College, discussed with the Summer Institute students his research on artificial intelligence. Through discussions and several articles students were able to better understand the concept of artificial intelligence and the different perspectives it entails. Below is a student's reflection on meeting with Sir Nigel Shadbolt and their class discussions.  I was not too enthusiastic going into Thursday's meeting; I didn't feel like I knew enough about Artificial Intelligence or understood the computer science behind how these systems worked. To compensate for my shortcomings in knowledge about the science behind AI, I did some extra research about the legal and ethical challenges with the technology. In addition to talking about the science, Sir Nigel discussed many of the economic and legal implications AI has. In his discussion about jobs -...

On June 29, 2017 Sir Nigel Shadbolt, a professor of computer science at the University of Oxford and the principal of Jesus College, discussed with the Summer Institute students his research on artificial intelligence. Through discussions and several articles students were able to better understand the concept of artificial intelligence and the different perspectives it entails. Below is a student's reflection on meeting with Sir Nigel Shadbolt and their class discussions.  What struck me the most during our time with Sir Nigel was the realization of how much psychology plays a role in the development of artificial intelligence. In our socratic seminar as well as our Q&A with Sir Nigel, we deconstructed what the definition of Intelligence was. Some people interpreted it as purely how well someone’s memorization and problem solving were. Others had a more holistic view of intelligence, believing that multiple sectors made up a person’s intellect. Through our conversations...