HSCI-330A: The Extended Mind

This course examines how the human mind is like artificial intelligence and how it is unique. Human sensory processing, which we use to orient ourselves in the world, serves as the basis for our actions and our imaginings, and is quite different from AI. The way we extend our senses and therefore our mind into the outside world, while managing inside perceptions, creates our unique sense of embodiment. Embodiment is a hotly debated subject in the context of machine learning. We take a closer look at the emergence of memory and imaginative-predictive skills in the brain as we look towards optimizing creativity and flow states. Further, we examine the impact of imagination on human technological inventions especially in the field of computational systems and large language models. We will consider how the human mind and artificial intelligence may shape the future of science, design, and art.