Unit 1: Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the mimicking of human thought and
cognitive processes to solve complex problems.
Richard Stottler
Today's AI is about new ways of connecting people to computers,
people to knowledge, people to the physical world, and people to people.
Patrick Winston
WARM-UP
1. Discuss the following questions.
 Can machines think?
 Can machines behave intelligently?
 What can machines do today?
2. Work in small groups. Read the definitions of artificial intelligence outlined in
different textbooks.
2.1.
Match the definitions with these categories:
 Systems that act like humans.
 Systems that think like humans.
 Systems that act rationally.
 Systems that think rationally.
A. ____________. "The exciting new effort to make computers think . . . machines with
minds, in the full and literal sense". (Haugeland, 1985)
"[The automation of] activities that we associate with human thinking, activities such
as decision-making, problem solving, learning . . . ". (Bellman, 1978)
B. ____________. "The study of mental faculties through the use of computational
models". (Charniak and McDermott, 1985)
"The study of the computations that make it possible to perceive, reason, and act".
(Winston, 1992)
C. ____________. "The art of creating machines that perform functions that require
intelligence when performed by people". (Kurzweil, 1990)
"The study of how to make computers do things at which, at the moment, people are
better". (Rich and Knight, 1991)
D. ____________. "A field of study that seeks to explain and emulate intelligent
behavior in terms of computational processes". (Schalkoff, 1990)
"The branch of computer science that is concerned with the automation of intelligent
behavior". (Luger and Stubblefield, 1993)
2.2.
Fill in the gaps in the sentences with letters (A), (B), (C), (D) and words
rationality, behavior, performance, reasoning below.
The definitions (___) and (___) are concerned with ____________, whereas (___)
and (___) address ____________. The definitions (___) and (___) measure success in
terms of human ____________, whereas (___) and (___) measure ideal concept of
intelligence called ____________.
3. What is artificial intelligence? Give your own definition.
4. Look at the statements below. Which ones do you agree with the most? Tell your
partner.
1. "Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity." Anonymous
2. "AI is an engineering discipline built on an unfinished science." Matt Ginsberg
3. "Chess is the Drosophila of artificial intelligence. However, computer chess has
developed much as genetics might have if the geneticists had concentrated their
efforts starting in 1910 on breeding racing Drosophila. We would have some
science, but mainly we would have very fast fruit flies." John McCarthy
4. "Artificial intelligence is the study of how to make real computers act like the ones
in the movies." Anonymous
5. "Artificial intelligence cannot avoid philosophy. If a computer program is to
behave intelligently in the real world, it must be provided with some kind of
framework into which to fit particular facts it is told or discovers. This amounts to
at least a fragment of philosophy, however naive." John McCarthy
5. Complete the sentence.
Artificial intelligence has many important links with other fields such as
Psychology, ............, ............, ............., ............, .............
6. Work with a partner or small group. Your topic is "Applications of Artificial
Intelligence". List as many ideas as you can in five minutes.
Finance, .........., ................, .............., ..............., ..............., ................
7. Comment on the pictures.
READING
8. Identify the stressed syllable in each word as in the example. Practise reading.
Efforts, deadline, misplaced, grant-grabbing, hype, visionaries, cheeky-chappy,
community, pragmatists, exponent.
9. Read the text "Artificial intelligence".
A. Insert missing paragraphs below. They are in jumbled order.
B. Underline the parts of the article which helped you decide on the missing
paragraphs, then compare with a partner.
C. Think of the other heading to the text.
D. Find information about Douglas Lenat, Alan Turing, Christian Goldbach,
Herbert Simon.
E. Complete the sentences.
1. According to the author, the term ‘artificial intelligence’ means ...
2. Alan Turing is considered to be ...
3. Turing believed that ...
4. Today computer scientists ...
5. The author's view of the Microsoft Paperclip assistant is that ...
6. The discovery made by Lenat’s computer program ...
7. According to the author, many mainstream AI researchers think that the most
important thing is ...
A
B
C
D
E
Today's computer scientists divide into two broad camps on the
issue of AI. The pragmatists see AI as a means to creating machines
that do for thinking what engines have done for physical labour −
taking on tasks we humans would prefer not to do: spending endless
hours scouring heaps of market data for trends or scanning piles of
medical images for signs of disease.
Without doubt, it is the visionaries who have done most to get AI
research on TV shows such as Tomorrow's World. It is the
pragmatists, however, who have got AI out of the door and into
successful applications: the neural network cooking controls of
microwave ovens, for example, or the expert system that vets credit
card transactions.
It is one of the most evocative phrases in the lexicon of science:
artificial intelligence. "АI" means the creation of machines that can
think.
Even so, visionary AI researchers working away from the
mainstream have pulled off some striking achievements. Herbert
Simon's 1957 prediction that a computer would make a
mathematical discovery came to pass 20 years later, when a logicbased program named AM, developed by Douglas Lenat at
Stanford University, discovered that every even number greater
than four seemed to be the sum of two odd primes. In fact, AM had
been pipped to this discovery by the Prussian mathematician
Christian Goldbach in the 18th century; nevertheless the
rediscovery of 'Goldbach's Conjecture' by AM caused a stir within
the AI community.
During the 1930s, Turing showed, in theory at least, that a 'universal
machine' could be built, capable of performing all the tasks of any
special-purpose computing machine. After war-time work on codebreaking, Turing helped to turn his discovery into the reality of an
electronic computer. But he also believed his proof meant that
computers could mimic the action of the human mind.
Artificial Intelligence
Robert Matthews
1 ____
For over half a century, computer scientists have been
working towards creating such machines, spending billions of
pounds in the attempt. And hanging over their efforts has been a
challenge set by a British mathematician widely regarded as the
father of AI research: Alan Turing.
2 ____
In 1951, Turing published a prediction: by the end of the century, computers would
be able to hold a five-minute conversation with humans and fool 30 percent of them into
believing they were dealing with another human being.
It is a deadline that has come and gone, along with huge amounts of funding. Yet no
computer is remotely close to passing the "Turing Test". What went wrong? Why has no
one succeeded in creating Al?
In fact, AI is already here, earning its keep in banks, airports, hospitals, factories −
even our own home and car. It may not be quite what many were led to expect, but then
the story of real-life AI is one of misplaced dreams, bitter feuds and grant-grabbing hype.
3 ______
Then there are the visionaries, still wedded to Turing's challenge and trying to
bring the sci-fi image to life. For them, AI is all about computerised "assistants" that
solve your printer problems and cheeky-chappy robots that talk to strangers. There are
some who even see AI as the route to understanding the workings of the human mind.
4 ______
When current AI technology is pushed closer to its sci-fi image, the results can be
more irritating than impressive: witness Microsoft's Paperclip Assistant, and the AIbased "help-desks" of some high-tech companies. Even now only the bravest customers
trust the automated telephone ticketing system at their local cinema.
5 ______
Simon's prediction that a computer would become world chess champion also came
to pass − in a manner of speaking − in 1997, when IBM's Deep Blue computer beat
Garry Kasparov, the greatest human exponent of the game.
Most likely it will be one of the AI visionaries who finally creates a computer that
passes the Turing test. For many in the mainstream AI community, however, beating the
Turing Test is viewed as little more than a party trick. They are hard at work addressing
far more basic issues in AI − like convincing computers to hand over the cinema tickets
you've paid for.
10. Look through the list of words and phrases and check if you know their
Ukrainian equivalents. Use the Mini-Dictionary (Unit 1) if necessary.
artificial intelligence
challenge
to regard
sci-fi image
evocative phrases
high-tech companies
hype
odd primes
to pip
to cause a stir
to get AI out of the door
proof
special-purpose computing machine
visionaries and pragmatists
to work away from the mainstream
deadline
to earn one's keep
camps
feuds
to mimic
to pull off some striking achievements to hold a five-minute conversation
to bring to life
to come to pass
11. Explain the meaning of the words and phrases.
To earn one's keep, a five-minute conversation, war-time work, a stir, high-tech
companies, a deadline, feuds, trick, to pull off, to bring to life, to come to pass.
12. Match the adjectives to the nouns to form collocations from the text.
1
real-life
a
image
2
misplaced
b
system
3
sci-fi
c
network
4
high-tech
d
AI
5
neural
e
machine
6
expert
f
intelligence
7
special-purpose computing g
dreams
8
artificial
companies
h
13. Now, use the collocations to complete the sentences. Use the remaining
collocations to make up sentences of your own.
1. This explains why the field of ... is split into many branches, ranging from pattern
recognition to artificial life, including evolutionary computation and planning.
2. A ... consists of an interconnected group of artificial neurons, and it processes
information using a connectionist approach to computation.
3. ... have been pioneers in the research, development and commercialization of
many new and exciting technologies.
4. ... is a digital or analog computer designed to be especially efficient in a certain
class of applications.
5.
The European Space Agency now hopes to use ... to control future spacecraft.
14. Match the words and phrases (1-10) from the text with their definitions (a-j).
1
visionary
a
the doctrine that the content of a concept consists
only in its practical applicability
2
neural network
b
representing the prevalent attitudes, values, and
practices of a society or group
3
pragmatism
c
a bitter quarrel between two parties
4
artificial
d
having the nature of fantasies or dreams; illusory
5
mainstream
e
a time limit for any activity
6
regard
f
excessive publicity and the ensuing commotion
7
deadline
g
a real or virtual device, modeled after the human
brain, in which several interconnected elements
process information simultaneously, adapting and
learning from past patterns
8
feuds
h
resembling or making use of highly advanced
technology or devices
hype
i
produced by man; not occurring naturally
10 high-tech
j
to relate or refer to; concern
9
15. Fill the cells in the table with the words derived from the given ones.
Verb
_________
Noun
......................
Adjective
visionary
Verb
Noun
Adjective
_________
.........., ..........., ..............
......., pragmatical
evocate
................
............
pip
.................
___________
achieve
................
............., ............
computerise
..........., ...............
.............
_________
............, .........
real
16. Fill in the word derived from the word in bold.
Different people think of AI differently. 1) __ (Intelligent) is concerned mainly
with rational action. Ideally, an intelligent agent takes the best possible action in a
situation. We will study the problem of building agents that are intelligent in this sense.
Philosophers (going back to 400 B.C.) made AI 2) __ (conceive) by considering the
ideas that the mind is in some ways like a machine, that it operates on knowledge
encoded in some internal language, and that thought can be used to help arrive at the
right actions to take. Mathematicians provided the tools to 3) __ (manipulation)
statements of logical certainty as well as uncertain, 4) __ (probable) statements. They
also set the groundwork for 5) __ (reason) about algorithms. Psychologists strengthened
the idea that humans and other animals can be considered information processing
machines. 6) __ (Linguistics) showed that language use fits into this model. Computer
engineering provided the artifact that makes Al applications possible. AI programs tend
to be large, and they could not work without the great advances in speed and memory
that the computer industry has 7) __ (provide).
17. Rearrange the letters in bold to make words that fit into the gaps.
Symbolic 1) ___ (faiaiicrtl) intelligence systems are designed and programmed,
rather than trained or evolved. In nature they are 2) ___ (tgomaihiclr), yet powerful.
They work 3) ___ (tfunncio) under rules. Symbolic artificial intelligence systems are
typically confined to a narrow task such as 4) ___ (cshes) playing, or theorem proving.
Thus, they tend to be very fragile, and rarely are effective outside of their assigned
domain; for example, a chess-playing 5) ___ (rmrpoga) would not, if at all, perform as
well diagnosing malaria as would a disease diagnosing 6) ___ (eerxpt) system.
18. Work in small groups. Match 1-6 with a-f to make sentences.
1. Computers are
a things get more difficult.
fundamentally well suited
to
2. This allows artificial
b specific situations, and adapting to
machines
new situations.
3. For more complex
c performing mechanical
problems,
computations, using fixed
programmed rules.
4. Unlike humans, computers
d machine behavior in tackling such
have trouble understanding
5. Artificial Intelligence aims
complex tasks.
e to perform simple monotonous tasks
to improve
efficiently and reliably, which
humans are ill-suited to.
19. Fill in the correct preposition or adverb.
pull off
1) to
succeed
in
doing 1) досягти
something difficult
успіху
незважаючи на труднощі
2) to take information from one 2) брати
інформацію
з
комп'ютера
і
computer and put it onto
одного
another
завантажувати
(computing
informal)
її
на
інший
досягти успіху в
succeed in
to do what you have tried to do
hand over
to give power or duties to передавати
someone or something
come to pass
to happen
відбуватися,
траплятися,
статися
bring
to make something exciting and викликати
до
життя,
something to interesting
зробити щось захоплююче і
life
цікаве
1.
This new book about AI ... the subject ....
2.
Finally, the pragmatists ... convincing the visionaries that they were right.
3.
After failing his Maths test two times, John at last ... it ....
4.
Albert ... the text about AI.
5.
Without experience, do you think such a young man can ... doing such a difficult
experiment?
6.
This mathematical discovery ... 10 years ago.
7.
Clear examples ... the classical mathematical theory.
8.
You can ... the files you need ... the Internet.
20. Fill in the blanks with to wherever necessary.
1.
Computers can ... perform calculations millions or billions of times faster than
human beings.
2. Let me ... help you with your problem.
3. We had better ... stop the experiment.
4. Make him ... practice an hour a day.
5. You must ... study hard.
6. She asked me ... finish her research about neural nets.
7.
We heard Jane ... work away from the mainstream.
8. He was heard ... get AI out of the door.
9. He was able ... develop ingenious computational ideas ... characterize human
psychological processes.
10. Help me ... solve this problem.
21. Translate the sentences into English. Use the following constructions: "Objective
Infinitive Construction" and "For-to-Infinitive Construction" (see MiniGrammar, the Infinitive).
1. Йому легко досягнути вражаючих досягнень незважаючи на труднощі.
2. Їй дуже важко перекласти цю статтю на англійську мову.
3. Нам необхідно отримати інформацію про досягнення науковців у галузі
штучного інтелекту.
4. Вони хочуть, щоб ви написали статтю про застосування штучного інтелекту.
5. Я хочу, щоб його книга про штучний інтелект була опублікована.
6. Ми хочемо, щоб ви пояснили нам це правило ще раз.
22. Transform the sentences. Use the Subjective Infinitive Construction. Translate
these sentences (see Mini-Grammar, the Infinitive).
e.g. It is considered that he is the best physicist. − He is considered to be the best
physicist.
1. It is known that Alan Turing is a great scientist.
2. It was expected that the scientists would create new programs.
3. It is reported that some theories have been disproved.
4. It is expected that many people will get AI out of the door.
5. It was reported that AI researchers had pulled off some striking achievements.
6. It is known that the visionaries have done most to get AI research on TV shows
such as Tomorrow's World.
23. Read and translate the suggested sentences. Underline the Infinitive
Constructions.
1. She wants them to study AI.
2. They don't allow us to continue this experiment.
3. It is necessary for him to read about the pioneers of AI.
4. I saw him finish the experiments.
5. He wants John to explain this.
6. Marvin Minsky is known to be the father of AI.
7. She made them read the theory about AI.
24. Choose the correct answer.
1. We can build chess-playing programs that ___ even the highest of chess grandmasters down, but we have yet to create a machine that can talk as proficiently as
a human of average intelligence.
A have taken
B took
C will take
D are taken
2. MOLGEN, (created by M. Stefik at Stanford University in 1979), is a program
that plans scientific experiments ___ molecular geneticists.
A to help
B help
C helped
D being helped
3. This is not to say that if something ___ mechanical and "dead" can possess
intelligence, then human beings are no longer special.
A such
B so
C such a
D so as
4. They are able to adapt ____ certain situations, as well as perform a variety of
tasks, very much like human beings.
A in
B to
C at
D from
5. If we ___ to build a machine that can emulate human thinking, a Symbolic AI
program which operates under a rigid set of rules is definitely not the right
approach.
A had wished
B wished
C will wish
D wish
6. It is impossible ____ a machine with all the thoughts and concepts that humans
possess.
A endow
B to endow
C endowing
D endowed
7. If a robot ____ to sweep the floor, it understands if it follows the command, but if
not, then it does not understand.
A tells
B was told
C told
D is told
8. ___ robotic agent substitutes cameras and infrared range finders for the sensors
and various motors for the effectors.
A−
B the
Ca
D an
9. ____ accurate the details that are given in the simulation, the more likely it is to
be successful.
A More
B The more
C The most
D Most
10. Even then, we know so little about our own brains that presently we can do
almost _____ in attempting to achieve some form of genuine consciousness.
A anybody
B anything
C nothing
D nobody
11. Will there once be a day where our robots will become so evolved that our earth
_____ by nothing but robots.
A has inhabited
B inhabits
C will inhabit
D will be inhabited
12. With this in mind, we ___ that production systems can do what Turing machines
do, including having the ability to compute anything that is computable.
A have proven
B have been proving C are proved
D are being proved
25. Correct the mistakes.
1. Intelligence is required for robots be able to handle such tasks as object
manipulation and navigation, with sub-problems of localization (knowing where
you are), mapping (learning what is around you) and motion planning (figuring
out how to get there).
2. M. Minsky's "proof" rested on the inability simple neural networks to solve a
basic logical problem.
3. Attention focused so-called on expert systems, computers whose logic-based
programs could supposedly capture human expertise and reason with it.
4. Fuzzy logic, is a version of the first-order logic which allows the truth of the
statement be represented as a value between 0 and 1, rather than simply True (1)
or False (0).
5. To the early 1990s, it was clear that expert systems were not the Golden Road to
AI either.
26. Translate into Ukrainian.
AI is not the science of building artificial people. It's not the science of
understanding human intelligence. It's not even the science of trying to build artifacts that
can imitate human behavior well enough to fool someone that the machine is human, as
proposed in the famous Turing test … AI is the science of making machines do tasks that
humans can do or try to do … you could argue … that much of computer science and
engineering is included in this definition … that's probably right … (but) the field of AI
focuses on the more complex things that people do.
James F. Allen
27.
Translate into English.
Ключовим моментом для успіху зусиль по створенню
штучного інтелекту Алан Тюрінг у своїй роботі в 1950 році
вважав комунікацію. Якщо ви спілкуєтеся онлайн: чи зможете ви відрізнити, коли
спілкуєтесь з людиною, а коли з комп’ютером?
Оскільки, ми можемо визначити розумові здібності тієї чи іншої людини у
спілкуванні з нею, то якщо комп’ютер зможе видати себе за людину − чи можна
сказати, що він має інтелект? Навіть, якщо комп’ютер пройде цей тест, то це ще не
означатиме, що він здатний до спілкування.
Нещодавно наді мною провели експеримент, який називається "китайська
кімната", розроблений філософом Джоном Сірлом. Цей експеримент кидає виклик
ідеї про здатність машини думати. Мене завели у кімнату з інструкцією, яка
вказувала правильну відповідь на будь-яку комбінацію китайських ієрогліфів,
зображення яких було у тій кімнаті. І хоча я не говорю китайською мовою, все ж
мені довели, що я можу мати переконливий діалог з носієм китайської мови − це
при тому, що я не розумів нічого зі своїх власних − правильних − відповідей.
Сірл порівняв людину в "китайській кімнаті" з комп’ютером, який читає код.
Отже, якщо я не розумів китайської мови, то як комп’ютер може розуміти те, на що
він запрограмований? Це сильний аргумент проти доречності тесту Тюрінга. Але
знову ж таки, що робить мій розум, коли от зараз я вимовляю, скажімо, слова? Чи
не слідую я автоматично якомусь набору готових інструкцій?
SPEAKING
28. You are particularly interested in Artificial Intelligence. Prepare a report on one
of the topics:
 An Introduction to AI
 Strong and Weak AI
 The Applications of AI
 The History of AI
 Relationship to Other Disciplines (Philosophy, Mathematics, Psychology,
Computer engineering, Linguistics)
 Areas of AI and their interdependencies
 Intelligent Agents
 Expert Systems
 Fuzzy Logic
29. The pioneers of AI (Marvin Minsky, Roger Schank, Joseph Weizenbaum, Allen
Newell, Craig Reynolds) are some of the brightest philosophers and scientists in
the 20th century. Together, they defined the field of AI within only 50 years of
time. The development of AI is considered the scientific wonder of the 20th
century, parallel with the invention of Genetics Engineering.
Find information on the Internet about the contribution of these scientists to the
field of AI and make a presentation about them.
30. You have found some information about the Turing Machine (see Further
Reading to Unit 1). Share this information with your fellowmates.
31. You represent the interests of pragmatists, your friend is a proponent of
visionaries on the issue of AI. Try to prove your position. Role play a
conversation between "visionaries" and "pragmatists".
32. Examine the AI literature to discover whether or not the following tasks can
currently be solved by computers.
A. Playing a decent game of table tennis (ping-pong).
B. Driving in the center of Cairo.
C. Playing a decent game of bridge at a competitive level.
D. Discovering and proving new mathematical theorems.
E. Writing an intentionally funny story.
F. Giving competent legal advice in a specialized area of law.
G. Translating spoken English into spoken Swedish in real time.
For the currently infeasible tasks, try to find out what the difficulties are and
predict when they will be overcome.
33. Discuss what applications of artificial intelligence you would like to see in future.
Think about: education, work, entertainment, medicine, travel, finance.
LISTENING
34. You are going to listen to some information about Artificial and Natural
Intelligence. Before you listen, check if you know the meaning of the words: fake,
landslide, agent, external, colony.
35. Listen and decide whether the facts from the text are true or false.
1. Artificial intelligence and natural intelligence are not synonyms.
2. A tsunami caused by exploding a bomb in the ocean is not considered to be an
artificial tsunami.
3. The internal behavior defines intelligence.
4. The class of organizations is more intelligent than a separate animal.
5. Human society is the most intelligent agent known.
36. Complete the sentences.
1. For any phenomenon, you can distinguish ...
2. If an agent behaves intelligently, ...
3. There has been ...
4. The obvious naturally intelligent agent is ...
5. Similarly, companies can develop, manufacture, and distribute products where the
sum of the skills required is ...
WRITING
37. Match the collocations with the translation. Use these collocations to make up
the sentences connected with artificial intelligence.
1
to be pipped on the
post
a
фантастичний світ
2
visionary form
b
точний доказ
3
visionary world
c
нездійснені плани
4
visionary schemes
d
дійсне становище
5
a convincing proof
e
зазнати поразки в останню
хвилину
6
a definite proof
f
об'єктивна реальність
7
the objective reality
g
бути втіленим у життя
8
to become a reality
h
примара
9
the realities of the
situation
i
переконливий доказ
38. Write dialogues about AI which develop towards the suggested last line. Act out
these dialogues.
A: ___________________________________________________
B: ___________________________________________________
A: ___________________________________________________
B: ___________________________________________________
A: Yet no computer is remotely close to passing the "Turing Test". What went
wrong? Why has no one succeeded in creating Al?
39. Write an abstract (4-6 sentences) in English to the article "Artificial
Intelligence". You may use the suggested phrases: the article is devoted to …, this
article concentrates on ..., it is shown ..., it is reported ..., it is studied ..., the results
show ..., the author pays attention to ..., the author suggests ....
40. Read the article "Swarm Intelligence" (see Further Reading to Unit 1). Write a
short summary of the text (50-60 words). Follow these steps:

Read the text.

Make notes of the main points of the text.

Start your piece of writing with one sentence that summarizes the idea of the
whole text.

Write your summary, including all the main points. Use your own words.

Check your summary is clear, complete and that it makes sense.
41. Work in teams. Write your story about Artificial Intelligence using words in
vertical columns. You should work horizontally and add words of your own. The
sentences may be any length but must be grammatically and syntactically
correct.
Artificial
of
helping
complex
human-like
Intelligence
science
machines
problems
fashion.
is
which
find
in
a
deals
solution
a
branch
with
to
more
For example, you can start with the following sentences:
Artificial intelligence is an area of study in the field of computer science. One of the
most important tasks of AI is helping to solve a complex problem: the development of
computers able to engage in human-like thought processes such as learning, reasoning,
and self-correction. ...
PROBLEM-SOLVING
42. Try to solve the artificial intelligence quiz (see Problem-Solving to Unit 1).