AI23 - Bioinspired Computing

NEW:

Topic 5 handouts now online

Please complete a module review form (rtf, pdf), and return it

 

Synopsis

The only indisputably intelligent systems on this planet are biological. Biological intelligences share several characteristics: they were all designed by natural evolutionary processes, they are typically controlled by nervous systems, and they often work together in groups, swarms, or flocks. In contrast to human beings (and to many of the artificial intelligences designed by human beings), the vast majority of these biological intelligences are simple creatures: they don't appear to use logic, mathematics, complex planning, complicated modelling of their environment, or even memory in some cases. Nevertheless, even the simplest of these natural intelligences can achieve complex information processing and computational tasks that current artificial intelligences find very challenging indeed.

Can these simple biological systems and the processes that created them teach us lessons that will help us design better artificial intelligences? Is it possible to abstract cartoon models of biological systems that nonetheless capture some of the amazing feats that these systems achieve? Where might such bio-inspired solutions fit in the scheme of computer science today?

In this module we will explore the extent to which biological systems such as neurons, brains, insects, and insect colonies have influenced the design of artificial intelligences and our understanding of what intelligence actually is. In addition we will learn how biological processes such as evolution and coevolution can be harnessed to automatically produce solutions to challenging problems in AI as well as more generally in computer science, and how biological phenomena such as flocking can inspire algorithms for robot control and the computer generation of life-like animation.

A formal specification of the module, including objectives and syllabus, can be found here.

Detailed Syllabus

Topic 1: Biased history & Introduction to Biological Computation

Topic 2: Swarm Intelligence

Topic 3: Artificial Neural Networks (I)

Topic 4: Evolutionary and Co-evolutionary Algorithms

Topic 5: Special Topics in Bioinspired Computing

The reading lists including links and locations are available here.

Assignments

Submission of Coursework: Codes, data, makefiles, etc. should be submitted using the SIS submission system, which can be accessed from your main SIS page. Precise details will be issued for each coursework prior to the submission date.

Assignment 1 is due 9am, 17 March (15%).

Assignment 2 is due 9am, 28 April (25%).

 

Courseware

Tutorial slides are available here.

Links to some of the applets and movies used during the module