Artificial Intelligence and Human Cognition: An Exploration

The study of artificial intelligence (AI) and human cognition is both a timely and dynamic field. This expansive, interdisciplinary domain encompasses computer science, statistics, and big data, as well as cognitive science, psychology, and philosophy. AI, recognized as transformative technology, has made remarkable achievements in comprehending natural language and emulating human reasoning, proving to be invaluable in augmenting human cognition. Nevertheless, there remain numerous unanswered questions about the nature of AI and its relationship with human thought. This course invites participants to embark on an intellectual journey exploring these intriguing questions. Students engage in stimulating discussions, reflective readings, and metaphorical explorations to probe the philosophical, ethical, and societal dimensions of AI's relationship with human cognition. Emphasis is placed on fostering critical-thinking skills and conceptual comprehension rather than technical proficiency. Discussion topics encompass the concept of systems and paradigms, the essence of intelligence, computational approaches, and metaphors of mind and machine. Then human elements and AI, such as creativity, intuition, and cognitive bias are discussed. These are followed by discussions on ethical and philosophical issues built in the design of the AI or as result of using it. The concluding lectures center on human-machine collaboration and on contemplating the future directions of AI.