# HISTSCI/ILS 330: Can Machines Think?: the History of Artificial Intelligence, 1650-present | UW–Madison

[View on UW Courses](https://uwcourses.com/courses/HISTSCI_ILS_330)

## Dataset

### revision

e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349

### repository

twangodev/uwcourses

### schema version

6

### importer version

7

### projection id

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### observed at

2026-09-07T15:55:43.033547+00:00

### built at

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### courses

8951

### current instructors

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### limited

false

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### term

1272

### departments

| subject   | count |
| --------- | ----- |
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| ABT       | 20    |
| ACCTIS    | 36    |
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| ANATOMY   | 2     |
| ANESTHES  | 8     |
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| ART       | 125   |
| ARTED     | 10    |
| ARTHIST   | 121   |
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| ASTRON    | 38    |
| ATMOCN    | 69    |
| BIOCHEM   | 51    |
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| BIOLOGY   | 14    |
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| BSE       | 44    |
| C\&ESOC   | 73    |
| CBE       | 48    |
| CHEM      | 101   |
| CHICLA    | 52    |
| CIVENGR   | 133   |
| CLASSICS  | 47    |
| CNP       | 10    |
| CNSRSCI   | 50    |
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| COMPBIO   | 15    |
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| COMPSCI   | 138   |
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| DERM      | 8     |
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| EMERMED   | 17    |
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| ESL       | 16    |
| F\&WECOL  | 60    |
| FAMMED    | 22    |
| FINANCE   | 50    |
| FOLKLORE  | 40    |
| FOODSCI   | 43    |
| FRENCH    | 63    |
| GEN\&WS   | 145   |
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| GENECSLR  | 17    |
| GENETICS  | 60    |
| GEOG      | 113   |
| GEOSCI    | 83    |
| GERMAN    | 82    |
| GLE       | 48    |
| GNS       | 38    |
| GREEK     | 27    |
| HDFS      | 41    |
| HEBR-BIB  | 13    |
| HEBR-MOD  | 10    |
| HISTORY   | 233   |
| HISTSCI   | 56    |
| HONCOL    | 13    |
| ILS       | 43    |
| INFOSYS   | 9     |
| INTEGART  | 7     |
| INTEGSCI  | 22    |
| INTER-AG  | 18    |
| INTER-HE  | 11    |
| INTER-LS  | 22    |
| INTEREGR  | 16    |
| INTLBUS   | 21    |
| INTLST    | 50    |
| ISYE      | 83    |
| ITALIAN   | 53    |
| JEWISH    | 56    |
| JOURN     | 88    |
| KINES     | 128   |
| LACIS     | 26    |
| LANDARC   | 61    |
| LATIN     | 24    |
| LAW       | 120   |
| LEGALST   | 48    |
| LINGUIS   | 35    |
| LIS       | 89    |
| LITTRANS  | 78    |
| LSC       | 52    |
| M\&ENVTOX | 7     |
| MARKETNG  | 62    |
| MATH      | 153   |
| MDGENET   | 8     |
| ME        | 130   |
| MEDHIST   | 43    |
| MEDICINE  | 60    |
| MEDIEVAL  | 32    |
| MEDPHYS   | 39    |
| MEDSC-M   | 29    |
| MEDSC-V   | 41    |
| MHR       | 68    |
| MICROBIO  | 45    |
| MILSCI    | 16    |
| MM\&I     | 22    |
| MOLBIOL   | 6     |
| MS\&E     | 59    |
| MUSIC     | 165   |
| MUSPERF   | 126   |
| NAVSCI    | 20    |
| NE        | 44    |
| NEURODPT  | 11    |
| NEUROL    | 7     |
| NEURSURG  | 4     |
| NTP       | 11    |
| NURSING   | 111   |
| NUTRSCI   | 65    |
| OBS\&GYN  | 18    |
| OCCTHER   | 39    |
| ONCOLOGY  | 14    |
| OPHTHALM  | 5     |
| OTM       | 43    |
| PATH      | 34    |
| PATH-BIO  | 29    |
| PEDIAT    | 26    |
| PHARMACY  | 31    |
| PHILOS    | 77    |
| PHMCOL-M  | 11    |
| PHMPRAC   | 45    |
| PHMSCI    | 60    |
| PHYASST   | 37    |
| PHYSICS   | 88    |
| PHYSIOL   | 3     |
| PHYTHER   | 37    |
| PLANTSCI  | 52    |
| PLPATH    | 35    |
| POLISCI   | 192   |
| POPHLTH   | 58    |
| PORTUG    | 33    |
| PSYCH     | 101   |
| PSYCHIAT  | 22    |
| PUBAFFR   | 54    |
| PUBLHLTH  | 23    |
| RADIOL    | 11    |
| REALEST   | 41    |
| RELIGST   | 90    |
| RHABMED   | 9     |
| RMI       | 24    |
| RP\&SE    | 102   |
| S\&APHM   | 17    |
| SCANDST   | 73    |
| SLAVIC    | 89    |
| SOC       | 149   |
| SOCWORK   | 87    |
| SOILSCI   | 46    |
| SPANISH   | 83    |
| SRMED     | 21    |
| STAT      | 94    |
| STDYABRD  | 52    |
| STS       | 8     |
| SURGERY   | 25    |
| SURGSCI   | 33    |
| THEATRE   | 91    |
| URBRPL    | 60    |
| UROLOGY   | 5     |
| ZOOLOGY   | 89    |

## course

### run id

20260907T155543-ce3781c4

### semester

1272

### observed at

2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00

### record version id

67cd3467f4a23a5c3fb1e7c2545b3958dfc2005be9ddda89dc1b262d05a15638

### course id

HISTSCI/ILS 330

### course uid

course\_bb584623169a6f9cd938031a

### catalog version id

77e620652c4ea7fe2380fef2c9ba2e5e52b3184a1a3110ed54a46571f6c22b17

### course number

330

### subjects

* HISTSCI
* ILS

### title

CAN MACHINES THINK?: THE HISTORY OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, 1650-PRESENT

### description

Introduces key historical, technological and scientific episodes in the history of artificial intelligence (AI) in a gently technical manner. No technical knowledge is expected; gain familiarity with technical aspects of AI in parallel with studying it from a social and historical perspective. Introduces the range of ideas and technical models for artificial intelligence that have existed before, and alongside Machine Learning and large language models (LLMs), and emphasizes the connection of historical AI projects to their broader cultural, intellectual, and scientific context. In describing historical models of AI, shows: 1) the regularity of many core controversies surrounding the pursuit of artificial intelligence over time (including its profound significance for science, work, and human values, ties to commerce and government) and 2) the importance of history as a repository for approaches to AI and computing research.

### requirements text

Sophomore standing

### credit offering ids

None recorded.

### llm job id

enrich-8b774950c2b6adfdc46d1b82

### llm output id

1064b50f95563b2515b6ae60ed2b864178d9fb026b864474e8ba0cd3cbb1a0bb

### llm model

nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4

### llm model revision

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### llm task version

14

### llm search status

valid

### llm summary

Introduces key historical, technological and scientific episodes in the history of artificial intelligence (AI) in a gently technical manner.

### llm topics

* Historical ideas and technical models of AI, including Machine Learning and LLMs
* Core controversies surrounding the pursuit of artificial intelligence
* Significance of AI for science, work, human values, commerce, and government
* History as a repository for approaches to AI and computing research

### llm skills

* Familiarity with technical aspects of AI
* Studying AI from a social and historical perspective
* Connecting historical AI projects to cultural, intellectual, and scientific context

### llm assumed background

None recorded.

### llm search phrases

* history of artificial intelligence
* AI historical episodes
* social perspective AI
* LLMs cultural context
* AI controversies history

### llm requirements status

valid

### llm student summary status

valid

### llm experience status

insufficient\_evidence

### catalog variants

None recorded.

### student summary

#### context hash

482d3d40b92abb42e3ef5af8de2423253003c317db3a8bd72cbf99905e45aa00

#### course id

HISTSCI/ILS 330

#### current instructors

None recorded.

#### difficulty workload

None recorded.

#### errors

None recorded.

#### historical context

None recorded.

#### message

No course-specific reviews available

#### offered

false

#### profile hash

5cb4dabf887cdbcd8c00d5a1312e10828b95c63f30bc3ea76aea199565390d02

#### quick take

None recorded.

#### student experience

None recorded.

#### task hash

74fb0997943e888960bbc9e47db8c4fd12e4292d55c20509d8d89db6a9910f68

#### teaching history

None recorded.

#### term id

1272

#### term name

2026 Fall

#### version

2

### requirements

#### nodes

```json
[
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    "condition": "Sophomore standing",
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]
```

#### notes

None recorded.

#### root

n0

#### status

parsed

### instructors

None recorded.

### offerings

None recorded.

### sections

None recorded.

### grade instructors

None recorded.

### grades

None recorded.

### statistics

#### graded

0

#### counts

* 0
* 0
* 0
* 0
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### grade conflicts

None recorded.

### evidence

#### history

* [/data/e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349/history/course\_bb584623169a6f9cd938031a-0.json](https://uwcourses.com/data/e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349/history/course_bb584623169a6f9cd938031a-0.json)

#### traces

* [/data/e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349/traces/course\_bb584623169a6f9cd938031a-0.json](https://uwcourses.com/data/e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349/traces/course_bb584623169a6f9cd938031a-0.json)

#### results

* [/data/e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349/results/course\_bb584623169a6f9cd938031a-0.json](https://uwcourses.com/data/e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349/results/course_bb584623169a6f9cd938031a-0.json)

### revision

e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349

## instructor Trends

None recorded.

## following

None recorded.