Gregory Gelfond — Essays – Gregory Gelfond

I write about computing science, knowledge representation, and the craft of programming, and how each sits within the broader scientific tradition.

A (Likely) Heterodox View of the AI Landscape

computer science

artificial intelligence

There is a great deal of confusion, among the general public as well as within the AI community, about what is meant by the term ‘Artificial Intelligence’. In this essay, I attempt to present my own, (likely heterodox) view on Artificial Intelligence as a scientific discipline, an overview of what I see as its major subdisciplines (and their challenges), and what (despite their differences) they may have in common moving forward.

October 28, 2024

The Beauty and Utility of Simple Problems

computer science

teaching

As a field of scientific inquiry, Computing Science is unique in its scope and interconnectedness with other disciplines. This breadth however often makes it difficult for faculty to form a coherent narrative, making the curriculum seem like an archipelago of unrelated subjects in the eyes of students. In this essay, I present two problems that provide a gateway for exploring very diverse and deep questions that are at the core of our discipline: recognizing integers, and the concordance problem.

October 21, 2024

Computing Science and the Western Tradition

computer science

teaching

What is meant by the terms computing science and software engineering? For that matter, what do we mean by science and engineering more generally? How are these two disciplines related, and how do they fit in to the broader tradition of western thought?

October 14, 2024

Teaching Statement

computer science

teaching

Computer Science, or Computing Science as the late Edsger Dijkstra called it, is unique among the sciences. It has a complex nature, being both a scientific and an engineering discipline. It contains within it the practice of programming, which in addition to being a rigorous mathematical and engineering endeavor, is also an art akin to poetry or literature. In my teaching I strive to do justice to each of these aspects.

October 7, 2024