Ask A Scientist© Computer Science Archive

Index Key:   CSI014
Author:      Jimmy Pack
Subject:     AI software for classroom, SimCity
Text:        I would like some information on a good software example to use 
to demonstrate AI in my classroom.  I know that some people use simulations 
like SimCity. What do you think?

Response #: 1 of 1
Author:     Arthur Smith
Text:      I am no expert on AI, but I have played SimCity, and I do not think 
it has very much to do with Artificial Intelligence! If you want to show your 
class how computers can be used to simulate the behaviors of everyday objects, 
that may be a good example.  Climate modelling, new materials and drugs, and 
even the interactions between particles in the nucleus are all very advanced 
uses of computers in basically the same fashion. You put things together and 
see what the simulation puts out...There are various kinds of "artificial 
intelligence" that you might want to discuss, if that really is what you had


in mind.  Neural networks, expert systems, and the language LISP all have been 
touted as showing "artificial intelligence", but it may be hard to get 
examples that young students could follow.  The best example, perhaps, may be 
if you can get hold of a speech synthesizer, a language translator, or even 
something that recognizes human speech - good luck!