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Carnegie Mellon Launches Undergraduate Degree in Artificial Intelligence

cs.cmu.edu

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Re: Carnegie Mellon Launches Undergraduate Degree in Artificial Intelligence

#191

Post by pishpash »

jknoepfler wrote: post #164

I really do not like this move. AI and Machine Learning require graduate-level mathematical and computational skills. I don't think it's productive to pretend that we can train someone to be even remotely useful in these fields in four years of an undergraduate education. It sounds like an attempt to get around the fundamentals of csci to "skip to the interesting bits," which will produce graduates with a cursory kno…

The same might have been said of a "Computer Science" degree when it split out of mathematics departments. I don't know, the jury's out, but there is a case for teaching what is an expanding area of knowledge with different emphasis than what came before.

An undergraduate degree obviously will be more cursory than a graduate program but even then it might help produce a crop of better thinkers for graduate programs with already solid background. There's nothing inherently preventing an 18-year-old from learning this kind of stuff.

Re: Carnegie Mellon Launches Undergraduate Degree in Artificial Intelligence

#192

Post by [deleted] »

Retric wrote: post #175
jknoepfler wrote: post #164

I really do not like this move. AI and Machine Learning require graduate-level mathematical and computational skills. I don't think it's productive to pretend that we can train someone to be even remotely useful in these fields in four years of an undergraduate education. It sounds like an attempt to get around the fundamentals of csci to "skip to the interesting bits," which will produce graduates with a cursory kno…

Most CS programs have a lot of filler from the Math department and various other places. Your third semester of Calculus for example. So, I think their is plenty of room for 6-8+ AI focused classes which would get you reasonably far. Especially if it's a comprehensive major that covers both Major and Minor requirements.

[deleted]

Re: Carnegie Mellon Launches Undergraduate Degree in Artificial Intelligence

#194

Post by dgacmu »

learc83 wrote: post #143
fixermark wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

CMU doesn't generally craft their degrees for industry-marketability; even the CS degree operates under somewhat of an assumption that they're training you to be a CS grad student or professor, not a software engineer. You can find your way out of that program without ever having touched C++, for example. I think you're greatly underestimating how much different the CS curriculum would become if they tore out functio…

>CMU doesn't generally craft their degrees for industry-marketability; I don't think a CS degree should be a trade program, but avoiding actively harming students job prospects by adding a few more electives isn't quite the same things as crafting their degrees for industry-marketability. >they tore out functional programming above 15-150 I'm looking at the requirements for the BS in CS right now. I don't see any fun…

The logic and languages cluster, while not exclusively a functional programming set, practically covers a lot of what one might think of as upper-division FP concepts. Foundations of PL and Semantics are bread and butter PL theory, for example.

Re: Carnegie Mellon Launches Undergraduate Degree in Artificial Intelligence

#195

Post by drngdds »

esahione wrote: post #124
exogeny wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I made the mistake my sophomore year at CMU of enrolling in a graduate-level economics class called "Game Theory" because I got my course prefixes incorrect, and assumed it was a CS class about video games. I am now much more versed in Nash equilibria than I ever thought I'd be, but damn, that class took a chainsaw to my GPA.

Ha! Grad school at CMU took a chainsaw to my GPA after 1st year. Studying 16h/day and still didn't have enough time to complete all assignments and understand the material. Awesome school though, would do it again.

Serious question, from someone who hasn't had to do it: how is it possible to do productively study for 16 hours a day? Controlled substances? I don't last that long even on occasion, much less regularly.

Re: Carnegie Mellon Launches Undergraduate Degree in Artificial Intelligence

#196

Post by pishpash »

rajacombinator wrote: post #193

Reputable academic institutions should not get caught up in passing trends, if they want to stay reputable.

If it's a passing trend then CMU already hired too many tenure-track assistant profs. It looks like they will be used at least for some teaching.

Re: Carnegie Mellon Launches Undergraduate Degree in Artificial Intelligence

#197

Post by tw1010 »

nabla9 wrote: post #174
jknoepfler wrote: post #164

I really do not like this move. AI and Machine Learning require graduate-level mathematical and computational skills. I don't think it's productive to pretend that we can train someone to be even remotely useful in these fields in four years of an undergraduate education. It sounds like an attempt to get around the fundamentals of csci to "skip to the interesting bits," which will produce graduates with a cursory kno…

I agree that AI/ML is kind of narrow for BS degree. I think there is room for specialist field called numerical programming or scientific programming. Someone who knows basics of numerical programming, math, statistics, data science, computational modeling and simulation, DSP etc. and can apply the skills to multiple different fields, including machine learning. The skill level needed to work independently usually re…

The narrowness of a niche is wholly dependent on how much demand there is for the thing in the grander scheme of things. Programming used to be incredibly narrow, and I would bet ya there were people complaining along similar lines back when engineering meant just mathematics and physics. Clearly the AI and ML rift has been growing, partially evidenced by this program; enough for it to no longer be considered "too narrow for a BS".

Re: Carnegie Mellon Launches Undergraduate Degree in Artificial Intelligence

#198

Post by neil_macintyre »

harveynick wrote: post #172
neil_macintyre wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am from the United States, next year I am probably going to attend the the University of Edinburgh for The Computer Science and Artificial intelligence course. Something I have been wondering is how US employers view the university, particularly with the somewhat strange (at least in the US) course title - "Artificial intelligence?"

Are you considering doing a foreign year, or your whole degree in Edinburgh? I can only speak for my current employer (Google), who look very favourably on degrees from Edinburgh. It's one of the four UK universities we recruit from directly. As for the course title, there's also "Computer Science" in it, which people can latch on to if they need that. When people asked about the AI part of my course I would say "Sof…

Thanks, that is good to know. I am doing a whole degree there. I am not sure how recruiting works at Google but when you say Google do you mean London or US based offices? Obviously I don't know what I will want to do in 4 years but I anticipate moving back to the US after I graduate.

Re: Carnegie Mellon Launches Undergraduate Degree in Artificial Intelligence

#199

Post by rhombocombus »

jordancampbell wrote: post #187
jknoepfler wrote: post #164

I really do not like this move. AI and Machine Learning require graduate-level mathematical and computational skills. I don't think it's productive to pretend that we can train someone to be even remotely useful in these fields in four years of an undergraduate education. It sounds like an attempt to get around the fundamentals of csci to "skip to the interesting bits," which will produce graduates with a cursory kno…

This is completely untrue - machine learning is largely undergraduate mathematics - in fact a lot of the linear algebra is commonly taught in high school. Definitely agree it's potentially narrow, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

I agree. Many of the statistical concepts can be extended from advanced undergraduate stats too. I can see how the high salaries paid in these jobs would lead to some serious gatekeeping though. My concern is that these courses will likely be taught without any deference to the ethics involved in the work done, and I think that will play an increasingly important role in years to come.

Re: Carnegie Mellon Launches Undergraduate Degree in Artificial Intelligence

#200

Post by greggarious »

kendallpark wrote: post #70

If you are an undergraduate in computer science these days, it is very hard to get into advanced AI/ML classes, which are typically reserved for graduate students. Back before the ML goldrush, a strong CS undergrad interested in AI could elect to take advanced coursework beyond the introductory AI class. Nowadays, good luck getting off the waitlist! Having an official "AI major" does at least tell students, "Hey, we…

Couldn't the same be accomplished with a minor or concentration as is common in many universities?

(Registering formally for a minor gives you preference)

I don't really have an issue with this degree, but I think it's mostly a marketing ploy to have a "major in AI" versus "AI concentration" or "AI minor" (set of electives alongside the normal CS degree)

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