Module Content

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an important topic within Computer Science. The techniques and algorithms of AI can be applied in a variety of important ways.
This module will introduce AI in the context of computer games. Games are an ideal “toy” environment in which to explore AI techniques. The module will then move onto exploring some of theoretical underpinnings of AI and Computing.

Introduction to Artificial Intelligence

• Intelligent Agents
• Finite State Machines
• Search algorithms. This will be done in the context of pathfinding: Breadth-First, Depth-First, Hill-Climbing, Dijkstra’s algorithm, Best-First, A*
• Decision Making, Conceptual Search

Advanced Artificial Intelligence

• Influence Maps
• Cellular Automata
• Blackboard model
• Planning
• Production systems
• Turing Machines and computability
• Machine learning
• Behaviour trees
• Decision trees

Teaching Methods

All the AI development techniques covered will be introduced from a programming viewpoint and illustrated practically.
Lectures will present concepts illustrated with examples and will be used to direct student reading and research into relevant topics. Tutorial and practical sessions will allow students to investigate and apply the material illustrated in the lectures.
As well as reinforcing the topics covered in the lecture, tutorials will also allow the student to examine and evaluate other possible approaches to these topics. Tutorials will also include the presentation and discussion of student investigation.
In practical sessions, students will apply their general programming skills to implement, modify and explore AI algorithms. The summative assessment uses a written examination to test the students’ comprehension and application of the concepts taught to or discovered by the students and their practical skills in the application of AI algorithms and concepts through a coursework assignment that will involve implementation. The examination will allow the students to demonstrate their knowledge and their understanding of the concepts. For example, a question might require the student to interpret part of a formal specification, or to identify errors in a faulty specification.

Assessment Methods

This module is assessed through coursework and an examination.