AI: The Present and Future

CSC 261 - Artificial Intelligence - Weinman



Answer the following questions. Record your answers in your Reading Journal.
  1. Section 27.1 discusses the state of the art for each agent component. Identify which component you think is most important for further research. Briefly explain your position.
  2. Regarding their work on IBM's Watson computer system, Ferrucci et al. (2010) say
    A system design and methodology that facilitated the efficient integration and ablation studies of many probabilistic components was essential for our success to date. The impact of any one algorithm on end-to-end performance changed over time as other techniques were added and had overlapping effects. Our commitment to regularly evaluate the effects of specific techniques on end-to-end performance, and to let that shape our research investment, was necessary for our rapid progress. (Ferruci et al., AI Magazine, Fall 2010, p. 77)
    Identify the sentence or short passage from today's reading that you believe is most closely related. Briefly explain whether your choice supports, denies, or complicates this assertion.
  3. Identify the sentence from section 27.4 which you find most surprising or provocative. Briefly explain your selection.
  4. Complete the following sentence.
    The most important thing I learned this semester is ...