Read the following articles on artificial intelligence:
Lev Grossman, "2045: The Year Man Becomes Immortal" (And see this graphic on AI.)
Brian Resnick, "How Artificial Intelligence Learns to Be Racist"
As you read Grossman's article about Ray Kurzweil's view of the Singularity, consider the reasons for Kurzweil's optimism about the future of AI.
As you read Resnick's article, think about whether AI can ever reflect our (that is, humanity's) best selves.
Lastly, consider (for next class) the possibility of human perfectability (that is, the possibility that humans can create or engineer themselves to perfection) in the context of Gattaca and the articles you've read by Ackerman, Kaku, Grossman, and Resnick.
