ICS2O_0X01_artificialIntelligence

ICS2O_0x01_artificialIntelligence

The invention of artificial intelligence has been in the near future for about 50 years now and the promise has not yet been fulfilled. Things look different this time. Real progress is being made. IBM's Watson beat a really good human player at Jeopardy for the first time. Google just recently created an algorithm that teaches itself to play Atari video games from the ground up. Smart systems combined with robotics are replacing workers in the factory. Semi-artificially intelligent systems are replacing some types of office workers. Are we ready for the consequences?

Read //Welcome, Robot Overlords. Please Don't Fire Us?// by Kevin Drum and answer the following questions in a word processing document. Submit your answers to the nadin directory or email them to me if there's a problem.

(There are 2 pages in the article. Make sure you read them both.)
 * 1) If real artificial intelligence is just around the corner, why does the author think that we haven't seen much visible progress up to now?
 * 2) What is Moore's law?
 * 3) How might the invention of real artificial intelligence benefit humanity?
 * 4) What is a Luddite and what is the historical origin of the term?
 * 5) Why does the author think that the Luddites weren't wrong, just 200 years too early?
 * 6) What might the use of robots and artificial intelligence do to unemployment in the next couple of decade?
 * 7) Describe one or more ways in which driverless cars will change transportation.
 * 8) Name one possible solution to the problems caused by widespread automation and artificial intelligence.