What would be a good way to immerse myself into programming A.I.?

Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around how to begin learning about programming in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), particularly for someone new to Computer Science. Participants explore various resources, programming languages, and foundational knowledge required for these fields.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests that a solid programming background is necessary for ML and AI, recommending languages such as C++, Java, and Python, along with a strong foundation in mathematics.
  • Another participant questions the specific demands of ML and AI, seeking clarification on what makes these fields challenging.
  • Some participants propose starting with practical programming exercises, such as creating a Tic Tac Toe game in JavaScript to understand basic AI concepts.
  • There is a suggestion to explore machine ethics as a foundational topic, though some participants argue that ethics may not be immediately relevant until a working AI system is developed.
  • Game Theory is mentioned as a useful area of study for building AI, with the potential to apply its concepts beyond games.
  • Participants express differing opinions on the relevance of ethics in the early stages of learning AI, with some emphasizing its importance and others dismissing it as premature.
  • One participant provides a link to a book on computational intelligence as a potential resource for further learning.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the importance of ethics in the early stages of AI learning, with some advocating for its inclusion and others arguing it is irrelevant until practical systems are developed. There are also varying opinions on the best programming languages and resources to start with.

Contextual Notes

Some participants highlight the need for a strong programming background and mathematical knowledge, but there is no agreement on the specific prerequisites or the order in which topics should be approached.

Niaboc67
Messages
249
Reaction score
3
Fairly new to Computer Science at University. I am interesting in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. Although, I am unsure as to where I should start. Any suggested reading? courses? Programming Languages or any advice?

Thank You
 
Technology news on Phys.org
Your university should have a few courses on it. Do you have solid programming background or are a beginner?
 
A beginner I know scripting languages fairly well like Javascript, HTML but other than I am a novice.
 
You'll need a very high level of programming experience for ML and AI. You'll need to start working through programming books. The popular languages are C++, JAVA and Python. You'll also need quite a bit of math. These fields are very demanding.
 
I'd like to understand them better, it's endless fascinating. Just to clarify in what ways are they demanding exactly?
 
What would be a good way to immerse myself into programming A.I.?

Hmmm, trying to get yourself to the technological singularity? Ultimately that would require s team of system engineers, EE's, and software people - all, presumably, ready to retire very soon.

Most of what's in AI can be understood by any programmer using a general purposes language. The HTML/Javascript combination can do a lot - but you probably want to get some C++ under your belt.

The classical AI experiments were all done decades ago - and with machines that can now be matched with Javascript. For example, write a Javascript Tic Tac Toe problem that keeps track of it's wins and loses so that its game improves based on experience. Javascript could handle that.

Of course, once you've figured out how to take over the world, you're going to want a more powerful language - perhaps C++ or perhaps you'll have an array of custom engines that you'll need to program from scratch. In that case, you'll need to learn about macro assemblers. The can be configured to program your new machine.

Have fun. If we don't hear from you again, we'll understand - it's the immersion.
 
Niaboc67 said:
Fairly new to Computer Science at University. I am interesting in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. Although, I am unsure as to where I should start. Any suggested reading? courses? Programming Languages or any advice?

Thank You

In all seriousness, I would start here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine_ethics. I'm sure it's not the area of AI that you're immediately interested in, but you will happen on it eventually and it's the area most likely to shape what you want to learn, so it's a natural choice for a starting point.
 
craigi said:
In all seriousness, I would start here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine_ethics.

Ethics is a branch of philosophy, and to a first approximation western philosophers are still having inconclusive arguments about the same topics that were done to death by Aristotle and Plato.

If you want to learn about AI and MI, then learn about AI and MI. Ethics is irrelevant until you actually produce a working system that does something significant.
 
craigi said:
In all seriousness, I would start here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine_ethics.
I'm with AlephZero on this one. I read that wiki article - it's pretty vacuous.
But there's a more important point. If you're programming a machine that has the mechanical ability to do serious damage or even kill, then there is a safety issue. Dealing with that safety issue as a ethical issue means that you're presuming that the software will operate as you intend and so restricting is with software-implemented ethical limitations will prevent it from acting unsafely. In fact, depending on such elaborate software as the primary safety constraint would be monumentally unsafe and unethical.
 
  • #10
Google "Game Theory", there are some great stuff that can help for building an A.I.

It does sound like it only applies to games but it applies to a lot related topics which you might find fascinating.
 
  • #11
AlephZero said:
If you want to learn about AI and MI, then learn about AI and MI. Ethics is irrelevant until you actually produce a working system that does something significant.

For obvious reasons the very compelling argument is that is exactly the wrong order in which to approach AI.

.Scott said:
I'm with AlephZero on this one. I read that wiki article - it's pretty vacuous.

Yeah, the wikipedia article could do with some work, but I offered it more as a starting point than a good reference for the subject matter.

Perhaps, this serves that purpose: http://www.springer.com/engineering/computational+intelligence+and+complexity/book/978-3-642-32559-5
 
Last edited:

Similar threads

Use of AI (ML/DL) in Science
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
4K
Who is responsible for the software when AI takes over programming?
  • · Replies 38 ·
2
Replies
38
Views
4K
Substantial programming skills, and software versus programming
  • · Replies 16 ·
Replies
16
Views
3K
How Can a Math Major Start Learning Computer Science?
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
4K
What is the best way to learn logic of computer language?
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
4K
What programming languages/pathways should I focus on?
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
3K
Python How does one assess progress when learning a programming language?
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
3K
Help with understanding programming
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
1K
Programming advice for a physics major?
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
4K
Trying to decide which programming language I want to learn
  • · Replies 397 ·
14
Replies
397
Views
22K