This course, intended for non-computer scientists, aims to provide an introduction to some of the basic principles and techniques of Artificial Intelligence, such as symbolic representation/reasoning and search, and their application to such problems as natural language processing, planning, game playing, constraint satisfaction, and machine learning.

The course will discuss not just the successes but also the unexpected difficulties faced by researchers trying to build intelligent machines.

In all cases, the ideas introduced will be illustrated by working computer programs that are only about a page long. This brevity is made possible by the use of an extraordinary programming language, called PROLOG, which is very different from standard computer languages. I will spend several weeks teaching Prolog programming (no previous exposure to computers is assumed!), and then students will write or extend small programs as homework exercises. My hope is that this will also help develop students' skills to solve problems using computers in any area of the humanities or sciences, not just Artificial Intelligence.

• Instructor: Professor Alex Borgida      (borgida at cs rutgers edu) [Please put  275  in the e-mail Subject line.] 

Office hours: Wednesday, 3:00pm-5:00pm, or  by e-mail appointment, almost any time. 
Office: Core 315.  Phone 732 445 4744 
 
• Books 
• There is no official textbook for the course because everything I knew of was out of print, and in any case I am trying to teach material in a way different than to ordinary CompSci majors. 
• The following books would have been good candidates but are out of print. 
• Jean Rogers, A Prolog Primer, Addison Wesley  -- just Prolog, but easy going
• Danny Crookes, Intro to Programming in Prolog  ,  Prentice Hall International  -- Prolog and AI
• Nigel Ford, How Machines Think ,  J. Wiley  -- Prolog and AI
• The following books are among the standard texts on Prolog for those who want to be more expert programmers
• Programming in PROLOG (Paperback) by W. F. Clocksin, C. S. Mellish
• Prolog Programming in Depth  by Michael A. Covington, Donald Nute, Andre Vellino
•  Artificial Intelligence textbooks -- not for the fainthearted
Artificial Intelligence: Modern Approach (Hardcover)  by Stuart J. Russell, Peter Norvig
• Computational Intelligence: A Logical Approach David Poole Alan Mackworth Randy Goebel, Published; published by Oxford University Press,
• Expected work and grading: 

Your grade will be based on roughly the following components 
1. Assignments (60% +). Programming assignments will often be done in pairs. (See some reasons for this in Ref.1 )
2. Regular class participation, plus discussions on "How to test for Intelligence?" (15%)
3. Essay on some aspect of Computational Intelligence, reviewing progress, problems,...

Policy on Academic Integrity: please read the DCS policy statement on academic integrity to which this course will adhere. (This applies to teams copying from other teams too). Please don't jeopardize your academic career by copying, and collaborating beyond permissible limits, 

LECTURE NOTES [Readings]
(Most lectures will not be available as full sets of slides. I will however occasionally have slides of graphs, programs, etc. which will appear on the Sakai website of the course.)