Social Issues I Flashcards
Define artificial intelligence
a branch of computer science that makes computers perform tasks we (used to) think of as requiring human intelligence
Define machine learning
a subset of AI focused on developing systems that can learn and improve from experience without being explicitly coded;
It involves algorithms that analyze data and learn from that data.
What are the two types of learning
Supervised
Unsupervised
What is the task of supervised learning
the task is to learn a mapping function from inputs x e X to output y e Y
What is the task of unsupervised learning
The task is to make sense of the data, we have inputs x e X but we do not have associated outputs.
What is robotics
a branch of engineering that makes mechanical devices perform physical tasks that we (used to) think of as human-like activities
What are luddites
The Luddites were artisan textile workers who had spent years learning their craft
What did luddites fear
they feared machines were robbing them of their livelihood
What did luddites do in response to their fear
break into factories and smashed up textile machine
Who was the luddites moment named after
The movement was named after Nedd Ludd
He had allegedly smashed two stocking frames in 1779, but he never really existed
What are Neo-luddites
they are anti technology
What do Neo-luddites see computers as
they see computers as enabling big corporations to operate more efficiently in their pernicious goals of making more money and destroying nature.
What are the fears of Neo-luddites
- unemployment,
- manufactured needs,
- social inequity,
- social desintegration,
- benefits to big business/government,
- an ominous uniformity of knowledge.
What is planned obsolescence
Planned obsolescence: new products are designed to have limited useful life.
What is Luddites belief on social disintegration
Neo-Luddites: computers lead to social disintegration.
The mere presence of a cell phone in a room can decrease the quality of an in-person conversation.
