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HONORS 398

This was one of my favorite and one of the most impactful classes I took this year.  I have a lot of things I could write about this class, so I will try to keep it short.

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To begin with, I was already interested in philosophy and robots.  What I did not know was how closely related those subjects are.  I did not realize how many facets the issue of AI had, and how many places it impacts society.  I liked how our assignments involved doing research on the subject--the articles were interesting and felt relevant.  I also liked the books we read and movies we watched, which were entertaining and thought provoking.  

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This class wildly changed my perspective of AI in many different ways.  Now I'm more aware of the major impact AI will have on society, and I'm more pessimistic about it.  But that also lead me to want to pursue studies related to this subject as a career.  The issue is so multifaceted, and so pressing, and will affect so many people.  I want to be a part of solving this complex problem.  While I may be more pessimistic about the future of AI, now I want to work on AI so that it can be used responsibly and purposefully.  Perhaps the most surprising takeaway from the class was that AI is already showing signs of creativity, something people several years ago thought AI would never be able to do.

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The most worrisome impact AI may have is not its impact on us or our economy, but the economies and even existences of developing countries.  With robots taking over their labor, what will they have left to offer us?  Especially if we're a society who can basically get whatever we want, cheaply, from a robot?  It is a chilling thought that we, not sea level rises, may be the ones to slowly drive other countries out of wellbeing.

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