Unit 1: Artificial Intelligence

Unit 1: Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence is the mimicking of human thought and cognitive processes to solve complex problems.

Today's AI is about new ways of connecting people to computers, people to knowledge, people to the physical world,  and people to people. 

1. 
   Discuss the following questions.
   

• 
  Can machines think?
  
• 
  Can machines behave intelligently?
  
• 
  What can machines do today?
  

2. 
   Work in small groups. Read the definitions of artificial intelligence outlined in different textbooks.
   

1. 
   Match the definitions with these categories:
   

• 
  Systems that act like humans.
  
• 
  Systems that think like humans.
  
• 
  Systems that act rationally.
  
• 
  Systems that think rationally.
  

1. 
   ____________. "The exciting new effort to make computers think . . . machines with minds, in the full and literal sense". (Haugeland, 1985)
   

2. 
   ____________. "The study of mental faculties through the use of computational models". (Charniak and McDermott, 1985)
   

3. 
   ____________. "The art of creating machines that perform functions that require intelligence when performed by people". (Kurzweil, 1990)
   

4. 
   ____________. "A field of study that seeks to explain and emulate intelligent behavior in terms of computational processes". (Schalkoff, 1990)
   

2. 
   Fill in the gaps in the sentences with letters (A), (B), (C), (D) and words rationality, behavior, performance, reasoning below.
   

3. 
   What is artificial intelligence? Give your own definition.
   
4. 
   Look at the statements below. Which ones do you agree with the most? Tell your partner.
   

1. 
   "Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity." Anonymous
   
2. 
   "AI is an engineering discipline built on an unfinished science." Matt Ginsberg
   
3. 
   "Chess is the Drosophila of artificial intelligence. However, computer chess has developed much as genetics might have if the geneticists had concentrated their efforts starting in 1910 on breeding racing Drosophila. We would have some science, but mainly we would have very fast fruit flies." John McCarthy
   
4. 
   "Artificial intelligence is the study of how to make real computers act like the ones in the movies." Anonymous
   
5. 
   "Artificial intelligence cannot avoid philosophy. If a computer program is to behave intelligently in the real world, it must be provided with some kind of framework into which to fit particular facts it is told or discovers. This amounts to at least a fragment of philosophy, however naive." John McCarthy
   

5. 
   Complete the sentence.
   

6. 
   Work with a partner or small group. Your topic is "Applications of Artificial Intelligence". List as many ideas as you can in five minutes.
   

7. 
   Comment on the pictures.
   

8. 
   Identify the stressed syllable in each word as in the example. Practise reading.
   

9. 
   Read the text "Artificial intelligence".
   

1. 
   Insert missing paragraphs below. They are in jumbled order.
   
2. 
   Underline the parts of the article which helped you decide on the missing paragraphs, then compare with a partner.
   
3. 
   Think of the other heading to the text.
   
4. 
   Find information about Douglas Lenat, Alan Turing, Christian Goldbach, Herbert Simon.
   
5. 
   Complete the sentences.
   

1. 
   According to the author, the term ‘artificial intelligence’ means ...
   
2. 
   Alan Turing is considered to be ...
   
3. 
   Turing believed that ...
   
4. 
   Today computer scientists ...
   
5. 
   The author's view of the Microsoft Paperclip assistant is that ...
   
6. 
   The discovery made by Lenat’s computer program ...
   
7. 
   According to the author, many mainstream AI researchers think that the most important thing is ...
   

For over half a century, computer scientists have been working towards creating such machines, spending billions of pounds in the attempt. And hanging over their efforts has been a challenge set by a British mathematician widely regarded as the father of AI research: Alan Turing.

In 1951, Turing published a prediction: by the end of the century, computers would be able to hold a five-minute conversation with humans and fool 30 percent of them into believing they were dealing with another human being.

It is a deadline that has come and gone, along with huge amounts of funding. Yet no computer is remotely close to passing the "Turing Test". What went wrong? Why has no one succeeded in creating Al?

In fact, AI is already here, earning its keep in banks, airports, hospitals, factories − even our own home and car. It may not be quite what many were led to expect, but then the story of real-life AI is one of misplaced dreams, bitter feuds and grant-grabbing hype.

Then there are the visionaries, still wedded to Turing's challenge and trying to bring the sci-fi image to life. For them, AI is all about computerised "assistants" that solve your printer problems and cheeky-chappy robots that talk to strangers. There are some who even see AI as the route to understanding the workings of the human mind.

When current AI technology is pushed closer to its sci-fi image, the results can be more irritating than impressive: witness Microsoft's Paperclip Assistant, and the AI-based "help-desks" of some high-tech companies. Even now only the bravest customers trust the automated telephone ticketing system at their local cinema.

Simon's prediction that a computer would become world chess champion also came to pass − in a manner of speaking − in 1997, when IBM's Deep Blue computer beat Garry Kasparov, the greatest human exponent of the game.

10. 
    Look through the list of words and phrases and check if you know their Ukrainian equivalents. Use the Mini-Dictionary (Unit 1) if necessary.
    

    artificial intelligence	challenge
    to regard	sci-fi image
    evocative phrases	high-tech companies
    hype	odd primes
    to pip	to cause a stir
    to get AI out of the door	proof
    special-purpose computing machine	visionaries and pragmatists
    to work away from the mainstream	deadline
    to earn one's keep	camps
    feuds	to mimic
    to pull off some striking achievements	to hold a five-minute conversation
    to bring to life	to come to pass

11. 
    Explain the meaning of the words and phrases.
    

12. 
    Match the adjectives to the nouns to form collocations from the text.
    

    	real-life		image
    	misplaced		system
    	sci-fi		network
    	high-tech		AI
    	neural		machine
    	expert		intelligence
    	special-purpose computing		dreams
    	artificial		companies

13. 
    Now, use the collocations to complete the sentences. Use the remaining collocations to make up sentences of your own.
    

1. 
   This explains why the field of ... is split into many branches, ranging from pattern recognition to artificial life, including evolutionary computation and planning.
   
2. 
   A ... consists of an interconnected group of artificial neurons, and it processes information using a connectionist approach to computation.
   
3. 
   ... have been pioneers in the research, development and commercialization of many new and exciting technologies.
   
4. 
   ... is a digital or analog computer designed to be especially efficient in a certain class of applications.
   
5. 
    The European Space Agency now hopes to use ... to control future spacecraft.
   

14. 
    Match the words and phrases (1-10) from the text with their definitions (a-j).
    

    	visionary		the doctrine that the content of a concept consists only in its practical applicability
    	neural network		representing the prevalent attitudes, values, and practices of a society or group
    	pragmatism		a bitter quarrel between two parties
    	artificial		having the nature of fantasies or dreams; illusory
    	mainstream		a time limit for any activity
    	regard		excessive publicity and the ensuing commotion
    	deadline		a real or virtual device, modeled after the human brain, in which several interconnected elements process information simultaneously, adapting and learning from past patterns
    	feuds		resembling or making use of highly advanced technology or devices
    	hype		produced by man; not occurring naturally
    	high-tech		to relate or refer to; concern

15. 
    Fill the cells in the table with the words derived from the given ones.
    

    Verb	Noun	Adjective
    _________	......................	visionary
    _________	.........., ..........., ..............	......., pragmatical
    evocate	................	............
    pip	.................	___________
    achieve	................	............., ............
    computerise	..........., ...............	.............
    _________	............, .........	real

16. 
    Fill in the word derived from the word in bold.
    

Philosophers (going back to 400 B.C.) made AI 2) __ (conceive) by considering the ideas that the mind is in some ways like a machine, that it operates on knowledge encoded in some internal language, and that thought can be used to help arrive at the right actions to take. Mathematicians provided the tools to 3) __ (manipulation) statements of logical certainty as well as uncertain, 4) __ (probable) statements. They also set the groundwork for 5) __ (reason) about algorithms. Psychologists strengthened the idea that humans and other animals can be considered information processing machines. 6) __ (Linguistics) showed that language use fits into this model. Computer engineering provided the artifact that makes Al applications possible. AI programs tend to be large, and they could not work without the great advances in speed and memory that the computer industry has 7) __ (provide).

17. 
    Rearrange the letters in bold to make words that fit into the gaps.
    

18. 
    Work in small groups. Match 1-6 with a-f to make sentences.
    

    	Computers are fundamentally well suited to		things get more difficult.
    	This allows artificial machines		specific situations, and adapting to new situations.
    	For more complex problems,		performing mechanical computations, using fixed programmed rules.
    	Unlike humans, computers have trouble understanding		machine behavior in tackling such complex tasks.
    	Artificial Intelligence aims to improve		to perform simple monotonous tasks efficiently and reliably, which humans are ill-suited to.

19. 
    Fill in the correct preposition or adverb.
    

1. 
   This new book about AI ... the subject ....
   
2. 
   Finally, the pragmatists ... convincing the visionaries that they were right.
   
3. 
   After failing his Maths test two times, John at last ... it ....
   
4. 
   Albert ... the text about AI.
   
5. 
   Without experience, do you think such a young man can ... doing such a difficult experiment?
   
6. 
   This mathematical discovery ... 10 years ago.
   
7. 
   Clear examples ... the classical mathematical theory.
   
8. 
   You can ... the files you need ... the Internet.
   

20. 
    Fill in the blanks with to wherever necessary.
    

1. 
   Computers can ... perform calculations millions or billions of times faster than human beings. 
   
2. 
   Let me ... help you with your problem.
   
3. 
   We had better ... stop the experiment.
   
4. 
   Make him ... practice an hour a day.
   
5. 
   You must ... study hard.
   
6. 
   She asked me ... finish her research about neural nets.
   
7. 
   We heard Jane ... work away from the mainstream.
   
8. 
   He was heard ... get AI out of the door.
   
9. 
   He was able ... develop ingenious computational ideas ... characterize human psychological processes.
   
10. 
    Help me ... solve this problem.
    

21. 
    Translate the sentences into English. Use the following constructions: "Objective Infinitive Construction" and "For-to-Infinitive Construction" (see Mini-Grammar, the Infinitive).
    

1. 
   Йому легко досягнути вражаючих досягнень незважаючи на труднощі.
   
2. 
   Їй дуже важко перекласти цю статтю на англійську мову.
   
3. 
   Нам необхідно отримати інформацію про досягнення науковців у галузі штучного інтелекту.
   
4. 
   Вони хочуть, щоб ви написали статтю про застосування штучного інтелекту.
   
5. 
   Я хочу, щоб його книга про штучний інтелект була опублікована.
   
6. 
   Ми хочемо, щоб ви пояснили нам це правило ще раз.
   

22. 
    Transform the sentences. Use the Subjective Infinitive Construction. Translate these sentences (see Mini-Grammar, the Infinitive).
    

1. 
   It is known that Alan Turing is a great scientist.
   
2. 
   It was expected that the scientists would create new programs.
   
3. 
   It is reported that some theories have been disproved.
   
4. 
   It is expected that many people will get AI out of the door.
   
5. 
   It was reported that AI researchers had pulled off some striking achievements.
   
6. 
   It is known that the visionaries have done most to get AI research on TV shows such as Tomorrow's World.
   

23. 
    Read and translate the suggested sentences. Underline the Infinitive Constructions.
    

1. 
   She wants them to study AI.
   
2. 
   They don't allow us to continue this experiment.
   
3. 
   It is necessary for him to read about the pioneers of AI.
   
4. 
   I saw him finish the experiments.
   
5. 
   He wants John to explain this.
   
6. 
   Marvin Minsky is known to be the father of AI.
   
7. 
   She made them read the theory about AI.
   

24. 
    Choose the correct answer.
    

1. 
   We can build chess-playing programs that ___ even the highest of chess grand-masters down, but we have yet to create a machine that can talk as proficiently as a human of average intelligence.
   

   A have taken

   B took

   C will take

   D are taken

2. 
   MOLGEN, (created by M. Stefik at Stanford University in 1979), is a program that plans scientific experiments ___ molecular geneticists.
   

   A to help

   B help

   C helped

   D being helped

3. 
   This is not to say that if something ___ mechanical and "dead" can possess intelligence, then human beings are no longer special.
   

   A such

   B so

   C such a

   D so as

4. 
   They are able to adapt ____ certain situations, as well as perform a variety of tasks, very much like human beings.
   

   A in

   B to

   C at

   D from

5. 
   If we ___ to build a machine that can emulate human thinking, a Symbolic AI program which operates under a rigid set of rules is definitely not the right approach.
   

   A had wished

   B wished

   C will wish

   D wish

6. 
   It is impossible ____ a machine with all the thoughts and concepts that humans possess.
   

   A endow

   B to endow

   C endowing

   D endowed

7. 
   If a robot ____ to sweep the floor, it understands if it follows the command, but if not, then it does not understand.
   

   A tells

   B was told

   C told

   D is told

8. 
   ___ robotic agent substitutes cameras and infrared range finders for the sensors and various motors for the effectors.
   

   A −

   B the

   C a

   D an

9. 
   ____ accurate the details that are given in the simulation, the more likely it is to be successful.
   

   A More

   B The more

   C The most

   D Most

10. 
    Even then, we know so little about our own brains that presently we can do almost _____ in attempting to achieve some form of genuine consciousness.
    

    A anybody

    B anything

    C nothing

    D nobody

11. 
    Will there once be a day where our robots will become so evolved that our earth _____ by nothing but robots.
    

    A has inhabited

    B inhabits

    C will inhabit

    D will be inhabited

12. 
    With this in mind, we ___ that production systems can do what Turing machines do, including having the ability to compute anything that is computable.
    

A have proven

B have been proving

C are proved

D are being proved

25. 
    Correct the mistakes.
    

1. 
   Intelligence is required for robots be able to handle such tasks as object manipulation and navigation, with sub-problems of localization (knowing where you are), mapping (learning what is around you) and motion planning (figuring out how to get there).
   
2. 
   M. Minsky's "proof" rested on the inability simple neural networks to solve a basic logical problem. 
   
3. 
   Attention focused so-called on expert systems, computers whose logic-based programs could supposedly capture human expertise and reason with it. 
   
4. 
   Fuzzy logic, is a version of the first-order logic which allows the truth of the statement be represented as a value between 0 and 1, rather than simply True (1) or False (0). 
   
5. 
   To the early 1990s, it was clear that expert systems were not the Golden Road to AI either.
   

26. 
    Translate into Ukrainian.
    

27. 
    Translate into English.
    

Оскільки, ми можемо визначити розумові здібності тієї чи іншої людини у спілкуванні з нею, то якщо комп’ютер зможе видати себе за людину − чи можна сказати, що він має інтелект? Навіть, якщо комп’ютер пройде цей тест, то це ще не означатиме, що він здатний до спілкування.

Нещодавно наді мною провели експеримент, який називається "китайська кімната", розроблений філософом Джоном Сірлом. Цей експеримент кидає виклик ідеї про здатність машини думати. Мене завели у кімнату з інструкцією, яка вказувала правильну відповідь на будь-яку комбінацію китайських ієрогліфів, зображення яких було у тій кімнаті. І хоча я не говорю китайською мовою, все ж мені довели, що я можу мати переконливий діалог з носієм китайської мови − це при тому, що я не розумів нічого зі своїх власних − правильних − відповідей.

Сірл порівняв людину в "китайській кімнаті" з комп’ютером, який читає код. Отже, якщо я не розумів китайської мови, то як комп’ютер може розуміти те, на що він запрограмований? Це сильний аргумент проти доречності тесту Тюрінга. Але знову ж таки, що робить мій розум, коли от зараз я вимовляю, скажімо, слова? Чи не слідую я автоматично якомусь набору готових інструкцій?

28. 
    You are particularly interested in Artificial Intelligence. Prepare a report on one of the topics:
    

• 
  An Introduction to AI
  
• 
  Strong and Weak AI
  
• 
  The Applications of AI
  
• 
  The History of AI
  
• 
  Relationship to Other Disciplines (Philosophy, Mathematics, Psychology, Computer engineering, Linguistics)
  
• 
  Areas of AI and their interdependencies
  
• 
  Intelligent Agents
  
• 
  Expert Systems
  
• 
  Fuzzy Logic
  

29. 
    The pioneers of AI (Marvin Minsky, Roger Schank, Joseph Weizenbaum, Allen Newell, Craig Reynolds) are some of the brightest philosophers and scientists in the 20th century. Together, they defined the field of AI within only 50 years of time. The development of AI is considered the scientific wonder of the 20th century, parallel with the invention of Genetics Engineering.
    

30. 
    You have found some information about the Turing Machine (see Further Reading to Unit 1). Share this information with your fellowmates.
    
31. 
    You represent the interests of pragmatists, your friend is a proponent of visionaries on the issue of AI. Try to prove your position. Role play a conversation between "visionaries" and "pragmatists".
    
32. 
    Examine the AI literature to discover whether or not the following tasks can currently be solved by computers.
    

1. 
   Playing a decent game of table tennis (ping-pong).
   
2. 
   Driving in the center of Cairo.
   
3. 
   Playing a decent game of bridge at a competitive level.
   
4. 
   Discovering and proving new mathematical theorems.
   
5. 
   Writing an intentionally funny story.
   
6. 
   Giving competent legal advice in a specialized area of law.
   
7. 
   Translating spoken English into spoken Swedish in real time.
   

33. 
    Discuss what applications of artificial intelligence you would like to see in future. Think about: education, work, entertainment, medicine, travel, finance.
    

34. 
    You are going to listen to some information about Artificial and Natural Intelligence. Before you listen, check if you know the meaning of the words: fake, landslide, agent, external, colony.
    
35. 
    Listen and decide whether the facts from the text are true or false.
    

1. 
   Artificial intelligence and natural intelligence are not synonyms.
   
2. 
   A tsunami caused by exploding a bomb in the ocean is not considered to be an artificial tsunami.
   
3. 
   The internal behavior defines intelligence.
   
4. 
   The class of organizations is more intelligent than a separate animal.
   
5. 
   Human society is the most intelligent agent known.
   

36. 
    Complete the sentences.
    

1. 
   For any phenomenon, you can distinguish ...
   
2. 
   If an agent behaves intelligently, ...
   
3. 
   There has been ...
   
4. 
   The obvious naturally intelligent agent is ...
   
5. 
   Similarly, companies can develop, manufacture, and distribute products where the sum of the skills required is ...
   

37. 
    Match the collocations with the translation. Use these collocations to make up the sentences connected with artificial intelligence.
    

    	to be pipped on the post		фантастичний світ
    	visionary form		точний доказ
    	visionary world		нездійснені плани
    	visionary schemes		дійсне становище
    	a convincing proof		зазнати поразки в останню хвилину
    	a definite proof		об'єктивна реальність
    	the objective reality		бути втіленим у життя
    	to become a reality		примара
    	the realities of the situation		переконливий доказ

38. 
    Write dialogues about AI which develop towards the suggested last line. Act out these dialogues.
    

39. 
    Write an abstract (4-6 sentences) in English to the article "Artificial Intelligence". You may use the suggested phrases: the article is devoted to …, this article concentrates on ..., it is shown ..., it is reported ..., it is studied ..., the results show ..., the author pays attention to ..., the author suggests ....
    
40. 
    Read the article "Swarm Intelligence" (see Further Reading to Unit 1). Write a short summary of the text (50-60 words). Follow these steps:
    

• 
  Read the text.
  
• 
  Make notes of the main points of the text.
  
• 
  Start your piece of writing with one sentence that summarizes the idea of the whole text.
  
• 
  Write your summary, including all the main points. Use your own words.
  
• 
  Check your summary is clear, complete and that it makes sense.
  

41. 
    Work in teams. Write your story about Artificial Intelligence using words in vertical columns. You should work horizontally and add words of your own. The sentences may be any length but must be grammatically and syntactically correct.
    

42. 
    Try to solve the artificial intelligence quiz (see Problem-Solving to Unit 1).