A discussion of the project as it relates to some of the things we talked about in class: Is the robot intelligent? Is it conscious? Does it have a mind? Do we feel any differently regarding the feasibility of AI now that you did this project?
Intelligence, Mind, and Consciousness of The Agent
We do not think our agent is very intelligent. The only reason the agent is able to figure out how to think about where to go next is because we tell it how to think. The coders are the ones who are doing all the thinking when it comes to Artificial Intelligence. We told our agent to think about the possible Wumpus and pit coordinates and analyze which coordinates are for sure safe.
However, just because a robot is not intelligent does not mean it does not have a mind. The agent does not have its own mind but it has a mind that we created for it, or an "artificial" mind. Again, the agent did not know to think about the possible danger coordinates: the mind we gave it told the agent to think about these things.
Because the agent has a mind, it also must have a conscious. The mind that we give the agent causes the agent to have "feelings" about where it should go. For example, if it feels a breeze, the agent's conscious notes that there might be a pit nearby. Although, this is an artificial consciousness and not one that the agent has without human interference (since the mind is artificial as well).
Feasibility of Artificial Intelligence in the Future
After doing this project, we believe Artificial Intelligence is very feasible in terms of "Yes, it can be done." We were very close to a successful algorithm with a very basic knowledge of Computer Science and Coding. Someone with much more experience in the field could have done it very easily. Moreover, this algorithm is run in Python, which is known as a very basic language (which is why the first class in a Computer Science degree program is often taught in this). The possibilities would be far more vast in the hands of an experienced coder using an advanced language such as C++. Now, just because AI if feasible in terms of the ability to be implemented, does not mean it is feasible in terms of whether it would actually be good for humanity but this is another discussion entirely that is beyond the scope of the purpose of this project.
