Admission requirements
Not applicable.
Description
For ages scientists, philosophers, and artists have been fascinated by the idea of “thinking machines”. Over the past decades, computer technology has turned some of these fascinations into reality, to the point where it rapidly enters our daily lives. At the same time many fundamental questions surrounding artificial intelligence remain open. What does it take for a system to be called “intelligent”? And under what conditions can we say that a system “can think”, “has a mind”, or “is creative”? How does artificial intelligence relate to traditional philosophical questions about knowledge and reasoning? And do we ultimately benefit from AI, or is it a threat rather than a blessing? This course discusses such questions trough a series of thematic lectures.
Course Objectives
After the thematic lectures students will be able to:
1. explain what key functions an AI system may be able to perform;
2. understand why AI is used and how it relates to (future) challenges in computer science and society;
3. explain and compare various definitions and fundamental concepts of AI, including weak and strong AI, narrow and general AI, expert systems, machine learning, etc.;
4. link fundamental questions in AI to other fields, such as philosophical debates on epistemology or insights about the evolution and development of intelligence from the cognitive sciences;
5. read, explain and evaluate scientific and philosophical literature regarding computer reasoning, the Turing Test, the Chinese Room Argument, intentionality, generative AI, computational creativity, utopian/dystopian views of AI & society, AI ethics and related topics that are state-of-the-art at the time of teaching the course;
7. debate statements related to the above from different perspectives.
Timetable
In MyTimetable, you can find all course and programme schedules, allowing you to create your personal timetable. Activities for which you have enrolled via MyStudyMap will automatically appear in your timetable.
Additionally, you can easily link MyTimetable to a calendar app on your phone, and schedule changes will be automatically updated in your calendar. You can also choose to receive email notifications about schedule changes. You can enable notifications in Settings after logging in.
Questions? Watch the video, read the instructions, or contact the ISSC helpdesk.
Note: Joint Degree students from Leiden/Delft need to combine information from both the Leiden and Delft MyTimetables to see a complete schedule. This video explains how to do it.
Mode of Instruction
The course consists of 2-hour (on-line) lectures, each with a different theme/perspective. Class attendance is compulsory. Students are expected to have studied the reading before each lecture, so that active participation in class can be expected. The timetable and reading material can be found on the course’s Brightspace page. A small reading assignment must be completed before the first class.
Assessment method
The final grade for the course is a weighted average of assignment(s) (25%) and a final exam (75%). Class assignments include an in class homework test (15%) and a written debate assignment (10%). In case assignment(s) are not completed, the grade 1 will be administered. Resits will only be possible for the final exam, not for the assignments.
Reading list
Not applicable.
Registration
As a student, you are responsible for enrolling on time through MyStudyMap.
In this short video, you can see step-by-step how to enrol for courses in MyStudyMap.
Extensive information about the operation of MyStudyMap can be found here.
There are two enrolment periods per year:
Enrolment for the fall opens in July
Enrolment for the spring opens in December
See this page for more information about deadlines and enrolling for courses and exams.
Note:
It is mandatory to enrol for all activities of a course that you are going to follow.
Your enrolment is only complete when you submit your course planning in the ‘Ready for enrolment’ tab by clicking ‘Send’.
Not being enrolled for an exam/resit means that you are not allowed to participate in the exam/resit.
Contact
Coordinating lecturers: Peter van der Putten and
Max van Duijn
Onderwijscoordinator Education coordinator LIACS bachelors
Remarks
Software
Starting from the 2024/2025 academic year, the Faculty of Science will use the software distribution platform Academic Software. Through this platform, you can access the software needed for specific courses in your studies. For some software, your laptop must meet certain system requirements, which will be specified with the software. It is important to install the software before the start of the course. More information about the laptop requirements can be found on the student website.