Cognitive Computing

Cognitive Computing is a term being used for a new generation of artificially intelligent computers that interact with humans in new and important ways. Rather than human-machine interaction, cognitive computing is said to be leading to a new generation of human-machine collaboration, where computers help humans gain new insights into problems via a suite of technologies ranging from natural language to machine learning. The “coming of age” of cognitive computing was demonstrated when IBM’s Watson program beat the world’s experts at the TV game show Jeopardy! In this course, we will explore several types of cognitive computing architectures, including Watson, neuromorphic computing, and agent - based modeling, and try to discover, via team projects motivated by the students in the class, what, if anything, is truly new and exciting in t his technology space. Students should be willing to work in small teams on research - related projects requiring the teams to define, plan and implement their approaches.