Topic: Should we grant "human-level intelligence" to a machine that passes the Turing Test?
Be sure to show awareness of (and refer to) relevant arguments in at least the readings that have been assigned. You don't need to be exhaustive about this, but pick out what you consider most pertinent.
Topic: What can we learn from AI history and the AI "prophets" (as discussed by Sam Williams) about research strategy, to optimize progress in AI?
Some possible issues you might consider are the following. To what extent do you think particular personalities shaped the new science (and continue to shape it)? What has been the role of science fiction (such as Kubrick's HAL in 2001) and predictions? Do you see AI as different (in the way research is conducted, and the way the field presents itself to the world, etc.) from other relatively recent sciences or "engineering" endeavors such as genetic engineering, controlled fusion research, high-temperature superconductivity, space exploration, etc.? Are you more with the optimists or with the pessimists, and why? To what subfields or activities would you disburse the most generous research support (and why), if you were in charge of top-level NSF budget decisions? Would it make sense to mount an "AI Manhattan project" on some particular aspect of AI, or on building a system with human-level AI?
Topic: Review of Drew McDermott's Mind and Mechanism
Be sure to show detailed awareness of McDermott's main points and lines of argument. As in the previous essays, make your best effort to clearly stake out a position, and then to make as compelling an argument for your position as possible. A compelling case is one that provides supporting facts and arguments for your claims that are hard to counter, whether they are in agreement with or at odds with McDermott's positions. Also it makes sense in a book review to give an overall assessment of the value of the book -- the contribution it makes, and who might benefit from reading it. For this it is advantageous to have broadened your reading to some extent; e.g., having a good idea of what is in some other books about consciousness, such as the one by Daniel Dennett, or some of the others mentioned in the email sent to the class summarizing the intro lecture to consciousness.
Topic: Review of Martin Rees' Our Final Hour
Topic: The theme of your team project
At this point, the class has some idea of what your projects are about. Nonetheless, remind us quickly of what your theme is, its role in AI, and "what's going on underneath the hood" in the system(s) you have focused on and are demonstrating. For any demo(s) that you have, be sure that everyone in the class can see what's happening. If necessary, call the class to the front -- we can easily enough assemble (standing up) behind the first two rows of tables. Give your conclusions about the demo system(s) in relation to the state of the art and in relation to human-level, intelligent performance (see the final report guidelines above). Also state whatever conclusions you think are important, and what you feel would be needed to achieve truly intelligent performance in this area, matching or excelling what people can do. Your pacing of the presentation will be helped along by "10 min", "5 min", and "1 min" signal cards held up for you to see, as your remaining time dwindles to those amounts (except for the 5-minute question/discussion period).
One more requirement:Your team is asked to come up with a couple of questions about your project that you feel everyone who attended should be able to answer (in a sentence or two), and which would demonstrate having understood the essentials of what you explained and presented.
The schedule of which team presents when will be provided soon (but will be open to negotiation among teams). In the last class on Apr 27 there will be 3 noteworthy events: a (not so surprise!) quiz on the projects, based in part (but perhaps not completely) on the questions the teams suggested; a vote on which project presentation you liked best (which will determine the recipients of the "best presentation" bonus points), and administration of the SCOQ.