Can computers actually think?

Can computers think (—or merely imitate human behavior)? This is the question asked by British mathematician and logician Alan Turing in 1950. Although AI as a formal discipline did not exist prior to the 1950s, with computers only coming into prominence in the late 1940s, the concept of automation had already begun to take shape under the banner of cybernetics. Early applications included controlling heaters and rockets, and the idea of gaining insights from data was progressing, with major impacts on health sciences. After initial growth, a period of reduced AI research and funding follows (1976-1980). In the 70s, database systems emerge, and AI resurfaces to process data, though still restricted by computational limits. Advances in machine learning and neural networks remain unnoticed until the 90s, when progress in computing powers breakthroughs in AI (computer vision, chess playing). By 2010, neural networks and deep learning dominate text and image tasks, enabling applications like translation, chatbots, and image generation.

The MOOC The AI Odyssey - History, Regulations, and Impact: A European Perspective by HEC Paris and Institut Polytechnique de Paris unravels the complexities of artificial intelligence across various domains shaped by its brief history, from techniques to ethics.

After a brief overview of key AI concepts—such as specified/unspecified tasks, given/learned rules, supervised/unsupervised machine learning, generative modeling, and reinforcement learning—the MOOC addresses the questions raised by the emergence of AI in our daily lives: How can AI be implemented within organizations? How can AI respond to business challenges? What rules determine the European approach of AI regulations and governance? What are the future trends towards a responsible AI? What do concepts such as fairness & interpretability in AI mean? How AI can be leveraged to address sustainable issues? How can humans and machines maintain a win-win relationship? What are the trends in the future of work?
Participants will benefit from a mix of interactive lectures, articles, videos, and guest speakers, providing a thorough understanding of AI's complexities. At the end of each session, they can test their knowledge with self-paced quizzes.

Whether you are looking to apply AI in your professional field or just curious about its future, this MOOC offers valuable insights into the ethics, regulations, and emerging trends shaping AI today.

To learn more and register for this online course, click here.
HEC Paris
Enrollment: from September 9, 2024 to September 14, 2025
Course: from October 14, 2024 to October 13, 2025