Faculty & Staff: AI Resources

Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is no longer the stuff of science fiction. Already used widely in many different applications, it is here to stay and it is advancing quickly. Several experts, such as the late Stephen Hawking, have spoken out against AI, but others champion its potential to help the human race rather than end it. Does AI pose a threat to humanity? Do its benefits outweigh potential harms? Who should be tasked with regulating the advancement of AI so it remains within the control of humans?

An essential investigation that pulls back the curtain on automation, like AI, to show human workers' hidden labor.   Artificial Intelligence fuels both enthusiasm and panic. Technologists are inclined to give their creations leeway, pretend they're animated beings, and consider them efficient. As users, we may complain when these technologies don't obey, or worry about their influence on our choices and our livelihoods. And yet, we also yearn for their convenience, see ourselves reflected in them, and treat them as something entirely new. But when we overestimate the automation of these tools, award-winning author Antonio A. Casilli argues, we fail to recognize how our fellow humans are essential to their efficiency. The danger is not that robots will take our jobs, but that humans will have to do theirs.   In this bracing and powerful book, Casilli uses up-to-the-minute research to show how today's technologies, including AI, continue to exploit human labor--even ours. He connects the diverse activities of today's tech laborers: platform workers, like Uber drivers and Airbnb hosts; "micro workers," including those performing atomized tasks like data entry on Amazon Mechanical Turk; and the rest of us, as we evaluate text or images to show we're not robots, react to Facebook posts, or approve or improve the output of generative AI. As Casilli shows us, algorithms, search engines, and voice assistants wouldn't function without unpaid or underpaid human contributions. Further, he warns that if we fail to recognize this human work, we risk a dark future for all human labor.   Waiting for Robots urges us to move beyond the simplistic notion that machines are intelligent and autonomous. As the proverbial Godot, robots are the bearers of a messianic promise that is always postponed. Instead of bringing prosperity for all, they discipline the workforce, so we don't dream of a world without drudgery and exploitation. Casilli's eye-opening book makes clear that most "automation" requires human labor--and likely always will--shedding new light on today's consequences and tomorrow's threats of failing to recognize and compensate the "click workers" of today.

Learn how to apply artificial intelligence, engineering, and machine learning to create smart robots capable of interacting with their environment, engaging with users, making decisions, and navigating autonomously Key Features Gain a holistic understanding of robot design, systems engineering, and task analysis Implement AI/ML techniques to detect and manipulate objects and navigate robots using landmarks Integrate voice and natural language interactions to create a digital assistant and artificial personality for your robot Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBook Book Description Unlock the potential of your robots by enhancing their perception with cutting-edge artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques. From neural networks to computer vision, this book equips you with the tools and practical use cases to create truly smart robots.Starting with robotics basics, robot architecture, control systems, and decision-making theory, this book presents systems-engineering methods to design problem-solving robots with single-board computers. You'll explore object recognition and genetic algorithms to teach your robot to identify and pick up objects, and you'll also harness the power of natural language processing to give your robot a voice. To enhance your robot further, you'll master neural networks to classify and separate objects and navigate autonomously, before advancing to guiding your robot arms using reinforcement learning and genetic algorithms. The book also covers path planning and goal-oriented programming to prioritize your robot's tasks, showing you how to connect all software using Python and ROS 2 for a seamless experience.By the end of this book, you'll have learned how to transform your robot into a helpful assistant with NLP and give it an artificial personality, ready to tackle real-world tasks and even crack jokes. What you will learn Get started with robotics and AI essentials Understand path planning, decision trees, and search algorithms to enhance your robot Explore object recognition using neural networks and supervised learning techniques Employ genetic algorithms to enable your robot arm to manipulate objects Teach your robot to listen using Natural Language Processing through an expert system Program your robot in how to avoid obstacles and retrieve objects with machine learning and computer vision Apply simulation techniques to give your robot an artificial personality Who this book is for This book is for practicing robotics engineers and enthusiasts aiming to advance their skills by applying AI and ML techniques. Students and researchers looking for practical guidance for solving specific problems or approaching a difficult robot design will find this book insightful.Proficiency in Python programming, familiarity with electronics and wiring, single board computers, Linux-based command-line interface (CLI), and knowledge of AI/ML concepts are required to get started with this book. ]]>

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From Wharton professor and author of the popular One Useful Thing Substack newsletter Ethan Mollick comes the definitive playbook for working, learning, and living in the new age of AI Something new entered our world in November 2022 -- the first general purpose AI that could pass for a human and do the kinds of creative, innovative work that only humans could do previously. Wharton professor Ethan Mollick immediately understood what ChatGPT meant: after millions of years on our own, humans had developed a kind of co-intelligence that could augment, or even replace, human thinking. Through his writing, speaking, and teaching, Mollick has become one of the most prominent and provocative explainers of AI, focusing on the practical aspects of how these new tools for thought can transform our world.  In Co-Intelligence, Mollick urges us to engage with AI as co-worker, co-teacher, and coach. He assesses its profound impact on business and education, using dozens of real-time examples of AI in action. Co-Intelligence shows what it means to think and work together with smart machines, and why it's imperative that we master that skill.  Mollick challenges us to utilize AI's enormous power without losing our identity, to learn from it without being misled, and to harness its gifts to create a better human future. Wide ranging, hugely thought-provoking, optimistic, and lucid, Co-Intelligence reveals the promise and power of this new era.