Natural Sciences 191CNS24 - FYS - AI,CognEnahnc,tobeHuman

Fall
2015
02
1.00
Daniel McGloin
W 11:15AM 12:05PM
UMass Amherst
40880
Can a machine or a computer program create art, music, and poetry? Can they make political and military decisions? Should they? What, if anything, is significant or important about humans doing and handling these things? Furthermore, at what point does human cognitive enhancement blur the line between the two? Technologies surrounding artificial intelligence and cognitive enhancement are close at hand and will have a pervasive impact on our society from moral, legal, and practical standpoints. You will gain a grasp of what is at stake for human society as the introduction of artificial intelligence and cognitive enhancement into our cultural and political affairs draws near.
Open to Natural Sciences Freshman with a declared major or on the Natural Sciences Exploratory Track.
Permission is required for interchange registration during the add/drop period only.