Homework 3 (Spring 2023)

Answer the following prompts in a maximum of 8 pages (excluding references) in JDF format. Any content beyond 8 pages will not be considered for a grade. 8 pages is a maximum, not a target; our recommended per-section lengths intentionally add to less than 8 pages. This length is intentionally set expecting that your submission may include diagrams, drawings, pictures, etc. These should be incorporated into the body of the paper.

If you would like to include additional information beyond the word limit, you may include it in clearly-marked appendices. These materials will not be used in grading your assignment, but they may help you get better feedback from your classmates and grader.

Question 1: ~3 pages

Analogies are commonly used in scientific reasoning to leverage existing theories to explore new domains, but they are also quite often used in literature to poetically draw parallels between dramatically different ideas. As we all know, our appreciation for literature is only increased when we painstakingly tear it apart and analyze it like a chemical compound, so let’s do that here—and save pondering how to design an AI agent that can understand the sarcasm of that sentence for another day.

Select an analogy from anywhere in literature. If you have trouble thinking of one, GoodReads has a list of several famous ones that you may choose from.

Once you have selected an analogy, develop a simple model of each of the two parts of the analogy on their own—this could take the form of a frame representation, a mindmap, a diagram, a plain text description, or whatever else helps you explore the source and target in the analogy. Then, examine what the author intends to transfer from the source in the analogy to the target.

Then, rewrite the analogy with a different source but the same target. Discuss how this different source changes the target when its relationships are transferred analogically instead of the original source.

For example, when discussing the emergency transition to online teaching, I often use the analogy: “Asking someone whose training and experience are in face-to-face teaching to suddenly start teaching online is like asking a basketball player to suddenly switch to baseball.” In analyzing this analogy, we would model the source (the basketball player switching to baseball) and the target (the face-to-face teacher switching to online), then discuss what the source adds to our understanding of the target (that while there may be some commonalities in skillset, there are significant differences, and so we shouldn’t expect immediate success). Then, we would write a new analogy, such as: “Asking someone whose training and experience are in face-to-face teaching to suddenly start teaching online is like asking a stage actor to film a movie.” Then, we would evaluate who this new source changes the analogy (for example, that face-to-face teaching and stage acting both feed on the energy of a live audience).

Question 2: ~3 pages

When discussing whether or not AI has achieved (or ever could achieve) human-level general intelligence, three terms are often thrown around as uniquely human (or at least, uniquely biological) capabilities: intelligence, consciousness, and free will.

First, propose a definition of intelligence. Your definition could be original, but ideally it should come from some other established source—after all, many people have spent much more time than us investigating these topics.

Then, explore what non-AI entities currently exist that—according to your definition—are intelligent. For your definition of intelligence, are humans intelligent? Are animals? Only some animals, or all animals? What about plants, including plants like Venus fly traps or prayer plants that physically react to external stimuli? What about systems comprised of multiple people?

Then, describe an objective way to establish whether an AI agent has fulfilled your definition of intelligence; this way can be original to you, or it can be a way that you are familiar with from others’ work. If you feel that such an agent never can be intelligent (or that such a test can never exist), defend why the suggestion is impossible.

Then, repeat the above three prompts for consciousness. Propose a definition of consciousness, then explore what non-AI entities currently exist that—according to your definition—are conscious. Then, describe an objective way to establish whether an AI agent is conscious; this way can be original to you, or it can be a way that you are familiar with from others’ work. Or, if you feel it is impossible for an AI agent to be conscious, or for an AI agent’s consciousness to be tested, defend that belief.

Then, repeat the above three prompts for free will. Propose a definition of free will, then explore what non-AI entities currently exist that—according to your definition—have free will (if any do). Then, describe an objective way to establish whether an AI agent has free will; this way can be original to you, or it can be a way that you are familiar with from others’ work. Or, if you feel it is impossible for an AI agent to have free will, or for an AI agent’s free will to be tested, defend that belief.

Finally, discuss the relationship among these three things as they pertain to AI: are they all mutually exclusive? Are some possible without others? Could there be a conscious agent without intelligence, or an intelligent agent without consciousness? Could free will exist in an agent without consciousness or intelligence? Could consciousness and intelligence coexist in an agent without free will?

Submission Instructions

Complete your assignment using JDF, then save your submission as a PDF. Assignments should be submitted to the corresponding assignment submission page in Canvas. You should submit a single PDF for this  assignment. This PDF will be ported over to Peer Feedback for peer review by your classmates. If your assignment involves things (like videos, working prototypes, etc.) that cannot be provided in PDF, you should provide them separately (through OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.) and submit a PDF that links to or otherwise describes how to access that material.

This is an individual assignment. All work you submit should be your own. Make sure to cite any sources you reference, and use quotes and in-line citations to mark any direct quotes.

Late work is not accepted without advanced agreement except in cases of medical or family emergencies. In the case of such an emergency, please contact the Dean of Students.

Grading Information

Your assignment will be graded on a 10-point scale coinciding with a rubric designed to mirror the question structure. Make sure to answer every question posted by the prompt. Pay special attention to bolded words and question marks in the question text. For further information on how the assignment is graded, see the rubric in Canvas.

Peer Review

After submission, your assignment will be ported to Peer Feedback for review by your classmates. Grading is not the primary function of this peer review process; the primary function is simply to give you the opportunity to read and comment on your classmates’ ideas, and receive additional feedback on your own. All grades will come from the graders alone. See the course participation policy for full details about how points are awarded for completing peer reviews.