COMPSCI 703 : Generalising Artificial Intelligence

Science

2025 Semester One (1253) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

AI deep learning has significantly advanced image understanding, language modelling, speech recognition, game playing, and more. These developments enable near-human capabilities in text and image generation. Explores highly specialised knowledge in planning, reasoning, explanation, natural language understanding, and knowledge acquisition, and assess their contribution to highly competent, general AI systems. Includes a significant individual research project.

Course Overview

The course aims to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the key concepts related to Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), also known as general AI or advanced machine intelligence. Students are expected to describe and explain the fundamentals of general AI, including the components that distinguish it from task-specific AI, such as reasoning, memory/knowledge representation, and planning. They will also demonstrate specialized knowledge in the field by critically assessing various approaches to AGI. Students will be tasked with familiarising themselves with existing solutions to the challenges associated with AGI. They should be capable of implementing these solutions and/or extending aspects of them to achieve certain AGI properties. Proficiency in programming is essential for this course.

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: 15 points from COMPSCI 361, 367, 761, 762, or COMPSCI 713 and 714

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: People and Place
Capability 2: Sustainability
Capability 3: Knowledge and Practice
Capability 4: Critical Thinking
Capability 5: Solution Seeking
Capability 6: Communication
Capability 7: Collaboration
Capability 8: Ethics and Professionalism

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Analyse the definition and components of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) (Capability 3 and 4)
  2. Compare and contrast proposed solutions that align with the components of AGI (Capability 3 and 4)
  3. Critically assess research papers that describe various approaches to AGI (Capability 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8)
  4. Develop analyses, designs, and implementations of existing AGI approaches (Capability 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7)
  5. Brainstorm, propose, design and create new solutions, applications or extensions to existing solutions related to current challenges in AGI (Capability 4, 5, 6 and 7)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Presentation 20% Individual Coursework
Research 30% Individual Coursework
Test 20% Individual Coursework
Final Exam 30% Individual Coursework
Assessment Type Learning Outcome Addressed
1 2 3 4 5
Presentation
Research
Test
Final Exam

Special Requirements

No special requirements. 

Tuākana

Tuākana Science is a multi-faceted programme for Māori and Pacific students providing topic specific tutorials, one-on-one sessions, test and exam preparation and more. Explore your options at: 
https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/science/study-with-us/pacific-in-our-faculty.html
https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/science/study-with-us/maori-in-our-faculty.html

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 points course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect 36 hours of lectures, 48 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 66 hours of work on assignments and/or test preparation.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is expected at scheduled activities including lectures to complete components of the course.
Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities including seminars will not be available as recordings.
Attendance on campus is required for the test/exam.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

List of readings is available on Canvas and Talis.

Student Feedback

During the course Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the staff responsible for the course and staff-student consultative committees.

At the end of the course students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback.

Your feedback helps to improve the course and its delivery for all students.

The content from this course has been re-designed based on student’s feedback from previous years. 

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework, tests and examinations as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Copyright

The content and delivery of content in this course are protected by copyright. Material belonging to others may have been used in this course and copied by and solely for the educational purposes of the University under license.

You may copy the course content for the purposes of private study or research, but you may not upload onto any third party site, make a further copy or sell, alter or further reproduce or distribute any part of the course content to another person.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.

The delivery mode may change depending on COVID restrictions. Any changes will be communicated through Canvas.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.

Published on 02/11/2024 08:23 a.m.