Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence - Detailseite

In a seminal 1950 paper, Alan Turing asked: 'Can machines think?'. This seminar will revolve around ways to tackle this question. We will see how that seemingly straightforward question spawns several others: What are the requirements for an artificial system to count as intelligent? Which principles of organisation should guide its design? Are there different ways in which a system can be said to be intelligent? Can machines be conscious? Is artificial intelligence possible at all? We will focus on conceptual issues concerning the development of artificial intelligence, actual and potential obstacles to such a project, while also looking at attempts, past and present, at designing and building intelligent systems. We will moreover examine ethical and social issues that arise from the development of artificial intelligence.