OLLI-COMP-2035 - Fun with Artificial Intelligence

Course Description

In 2022 a new set of AI tools became available - first to research, then to the public. These include ChatGPT, Google Bard, Microsoft Bing/Chat, DALI, and more. These are evolving very quickly in terms of their capabilities, inconsistencies and out-right errors. Peter Kent (ASPEC Economics forum, 2023) Describes ChatGPT as "a new smart autistic in-law who just married into your family. He is not going away. You can choose to ignore him, to try to prove you are smarter, or to become friends and accept his assistance." AI “will alter our experience as reasoning beings and permanently change our relationship with reality.” (Kissinger/Schmidt/Huttenlocher; The Age of AI and our Human Future; 2022. Farhad Manjoo, NY Times Columnist: “Trust it the same way you would trust a blabbermouth blowhard drunk at a bar three drinks in who is pretending to know everything.” In this class we will get a sense for what AI is doing today (which will be different than yesterday), some of the issues and opportunities that are emerging, and a hands-on experience with some examples of "the beast".