CCSI

I have found that one of the best ways to introduce functionalism to students is to take the Mind Project’s AI program, “Larry Learner” into the classroom and engage the students. There are two versions of the program that plays a game called Last One Loses. The trick when using it in the classroom is to start with the first version — that is hardwired with the winning algorithm. The vast majority of students will insist that it is not intelligent and after giving their own reasons why, will almost unanimously agree that Larry is not intelligent and the human author of the Larry program, Tony Kuzola, IS intelligent because he had to figure out — by trial and error — what the winning moves were and then he simply encoded it into the Larry program. But now you have the students where you want them. Because the second version of Larry, the “learning” version, does itself learn by trial and error what the winning moves are and thus has the very property that was sufficient for attributing intelligence to the human being.

Now you are ready for a great discussion about what intelligence really is. Simple knee-jerk reactions aren’t sufficient any more. Yes, even the learning version of Larry may not be intelligent, but why not? Students throw out lots of ideas and then you stop, as if surprised, and say: “Wow. That exactly what Alan Turing said and he may have been the most brilliant thinker about AI that ever lived. This leads nicely into the Turing Test and the importance of being able to give rich, flexible responses to a wide range of different situations if something is to be considered “intelligent.”

The Windows version of Larry Learner is the best to use in the classroom. But if you can’t run Windows there is also a Java-script version on our website. You can get both here: Larry Learner — An AI Program (Overview)

I have also created a webpage that takes a student through all of these issues in a way that is fairly similar to how I do it in the classroom.

Intelligence, computers, and robots

I recommend that you read it to get ideas about how to use the program in the classroom, but that you do it all yourself rather than assigning this reading to the students. If you don’t want to take the time to do it in the classroom, or don’t have the technology, you can have the students read it on their own and then you can discuss it.