Read the following articles (readings 5, 6, and 7 in your reading packet):
- Computer Science as Empirical Inquiry by Allen Newell and Herbert Simon
- Minds, Brains, and Programs by John Searle
- The Chinese Room: Just Say No! by Robert French
The first two are among the most famous papers in AI. Newell and Simon present their physical symbol system hypothesis, which claims that intelligence can—indeed, can only—be realized within a "physical symbol system". Searle introduces a thought experiment called the Chinese Room to argue against the idea of intelligence as symbol-manipulation. French argues against the basic soundness of this thought experiment.
Which argument seems most persuasive to you? Why? Write a 2-3 page reaction paper to these articles in support of your position. Also, identify two or three weaknesses or criticisms of each article. Be prepared to discuss these issues in class next week.
(Decision Trees) Do exercise 10.1 on page 288 of the textbook. The ID3 algorithm for constructing decision trees is summarized here.
(Q Learning) Consider applying the Q learning algorithm to the grid world shown below, assuming that the table of Q' values is initialized to zero and the discount factor γ is 0.8. Assume the agent begins in the bottom left grid square and then travels clockwise around the perimeter of the grid until it reaches the absorbing goal state, completing the first training episode. Describe which Q' values are modified as a result of this episode, and give their revised values. Answer the question again assuming the agent now performs a second identical episode. Answer it again for a third episode.
