For hundreds of years, we (people) have fantasized about computers that could simulate ourselves. Now we have technology that comes close, in many ways, to doing that. The two main questions we will try to answer are:
What will we do in this seminar? I'll spend the first two or three classes surveying the field. I'll try to highlight both the important techinical issues and some of the key applications. Then I'll turn the class over to the students. I'll ask people to form small teams and choose topics they'd like to present to the class. You may want to start thinking now about your topic. You may get an idea from my list of possible topics. Feel free to email me with questions. I'll also invite a few guest speakers.
To begin to get a feeling for where AI is today, take a look at the AI Web Resources page that I've put together. You'll find articles to read as well as demos that you can run.
The Powerpoint slides for the introduction to AI that I will present in class.