The overarching goal of this course is to impress upon students the enormous potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to be used as an agent for good in today’s increasingly connected societies. To achieve this goal, this course explores a set of advanced AI methods such as machine learning, convex and combinatorial optimization, game theory and mechanism design, sequential planning, etc., and illustrates how these methods have been used to tackle challenging problems that afflict humanity, particularly in the areas of healthcare, conservation and public safety and security.
The intended audience for this course are Ph.D. students, Master's students, and advanced undergraduates interested in exploring research questions in AI which lead to a tangible societal impact. To get the most out of this course, the student should have a decent mathematical background, although that is not required and will not be used a criteria for course evaluation. Although the course is listed with IST, graduate students in CS, EE, OR and the Social Work departments would also find this course of interest.
