Spring 2025
Prereq: Two subjects in Literature or permission of instructor
Units: 3-0-9 HASS-H, CI-M; Can be repeated for credit
This subject puts debates about artificial intelligence and theories of mind in conversation with literary representations of consciousness. What does it mean to be conscious? Do AI programs understand or merely simulate understanding? We will approach these and many related questions by examining classic experiments like Newell and Simon’s Logic Theorist computer program, arguments by philosophers like John Searle, and science fiction about machines that think, act, and interact with the world. We will also consider various literary devices that make a fictional character’s consciousness seem plausible. We’ll ask how, if at all, these literary techniques differ from the user-facing personalities of present-day chatbots and other intelligent computer programs.