CS 470  Artificial Intelligence ,   Fall 2012     SYLLABUS    
Instructor:      Jeffrey Horn,  email:     jhorn@nmu.edu
                            office:  1119 New Science Building
                            phone:  227-1607
Office Hours:         http://cs.nmu.edu/~jeffhorn/Schedule/scheduleWinter2012.html

Textbook (required):  ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE:  A New Synthesis by Nils J. Nilsson, available in Campus Bookstore (web site:  )

CS470 Course Description

Prerequisites:  CS222
Our web page:   http://cs.nmu.edu/~jeffhorn/Classes/CS470/Winter2012/syllabus.html

 (I will use the web page EXTENSIVELY, posting everything I can up there as soon as possible.  This includes all electronic forms of handouts, assignments, solutions, sample tests, etc.  Also I will post announcements, links to interesting, topic-related sites, etc.  So please check our page regularly!  At the very least, twice a week. )

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

The artificial intelligence course is being radically updated (see the "old" description in NMU Undergraduate Bulletin).   This time around, while starting with a review of the classic approaches, the course will quickly focus on the most promising  developments in the field, including neural networks, artificial life, and artificial evolution.   Given the recent acquisition of technology at NMU, we will emphasize significant implementations in situated intelligence, including deployment of new capabilities in BLAZE, our auto-navigating research robot, and development of adaptive algorithms for computer game AI in 3D worlds.   Finally, we will take advantage of the powerful new catCluster II, high-performance computing cluster, to try to crack some open challenges in AI and machine learning, through a combination of top tier algorithms and raw computational power.

TOPICS:   (tentative)

• AI as SEARCH
  • Planning
  • State Space Search
  • Heuristic Search
  • Adverserial Search
• STIMULUS-RESPONSE AGENTS
  • Look-up tables
  • Braitenberg Vehicles
  • Classifier Systems
  • Prisoners' Dilemma
• NEURAL NETWORKS
• ARTIFICIAL LIFE and EVOLUTION
• ROBOTICS
• AUTOMATED LOGIC (HAL)
  • Knowledge bases and deduction engines
  • Why HAL went insane:  brittleness
  • Fuzzy logic, an answer to brittleness
• MACHINE LEARNING

GRADING:  

• 30% Assignments (some programs).
•  20% Exams 
• 20% Quizzes 
• 20% Final exam, comprehensive and/or final project.
• 10% Instructor's discretion

Late Policy:  For assignments, 5% off for each day late (counting only days that the university is open; e.g., not weekends or snowdays).   But of course I cannot accept them after solutions are handed out!  As for exams, those cannot be made up except under the most severe and extenuating emergencies!  Don't take a chance if you don't have to!  (If we have "enough" assignments and/or quizes, I will drop the lowest grade in that category.)

 COMPUTING FACILITIES:

Hardware:    NMU Linovo ThinkPads or Apple iBooks, MacBooks, or iMacs.

Software:    To be made available throughout the semester at no additional cost.

DISABILITY SERVICES

If you have a need for disability-related accommodations or services, please inform the Coordinator of Disability Services in the Dean of Students Office at 2001 C. B. Hedgcock Building (227-1700). Reasonable and effective accommodations and services will be provided to students if requests are made in a timely manner, with appropriate documentation, in accordance with federal, state, and University guidelines.

LAPTOP (and mobile device) CLASSROOM USE POLICY

As a computer scientist I am of course devoted to mobile computing and communication devices (that is, gadgets).  However, this course involves some deep concepts concerning the nature of computation, information, and communication, and indeed even human nature.  My experience is that most people, myself most especially, cannot be expected to really grasp these concepts in the classroom without long periods of unbroken attention.  As much as I value electronic-based multi-tasking (and I do think that we need to multi-task throughout the modern day), I have now come to the conclusion that certain insights into the universe cannot be conveyed while multi-tasking.  Period. 

Therefore, my policy is to allow laptop use during certain portions of the class period, as I announce them.  So there will be times, every class meeting, when I will demand that all laptop covers be closed (at least lowered so that they cannot be seen by anyone).   Such times will last perhaps 20-30 minutes, after which students will be allowed to open up and use their laptops for class exercises or lab work (the current assignment).  If a student absolutely needs to use his or her laptop for note-taking during the "deep lectures", then he or she can request individual permission from me. 

As for cell phones, PDAs, handheld game-consoles, iPods, etc., use of such devices will also not be allowed during "deep lecture" (cell phones can be set to "vibrate" or to some other inaudible notification mode) for receiving emergency calls.   There will be break times of five to ten minutes every half hour or so for students to check for messages, make short calls, etc.

(This document can be found online at http://cs.nmu.edu/~jeffhorn/Classes/CS470/Winter2012/syllabus.html).