Outline of Topics

Numbers and Scale

• Scientific notation
• Orders of magnitude
• Linear, logarithmic, and exponential processes

Evolution and the Cosmic Perspective

• Our place in the Universe
• Biological evolution
• Are we alone?

The Acceleration of Technology

• The origins of computing machines
• Moore's law and the increasing power of computation
• Reverse engineering the human brain
• Biotechnology and genetic engineering
• Nanotechnology
• AI and robotics

Prospects For Survival

• The promise and peril of advanced technologies
• Existential risks

Artificial Intelligence: A Closer Look

• The Turing Test and the Chinese Room
• Classical AI
• Neural networks and emergent AI
• Genetic algorithms and evolutionary AI
• Robots and embodied AI
• Machine creativity