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So much negativity on this discussion. I'm very surprised to see this from the HN crowd. Guess what? Computer Science, Engineering, etc... is getting more compl

by anonu 9y ago

So much negativity on this discussion. I'm very surprised to see this from the HN crowd. Guess what? Computer Science, Engineering, etc... is getting more complicated and complex. So seeing a discipline (assuming this is CS) get broken down into more distinct groupings is actually a good phenomenon. Of course there's always foundational knowledge that is important to learn - but with time I feel like that information becomes de-emphasized to focus on higher-levels of understanding and knowledge. On another note, CMU was always very good at cross-disciplinary studies. (Building Virtual Worlds comes to mind). As the article points out, this new degree bridges over to the humanities and ethics. With where we are today with AI, isn't it a good thing to train the AI developers of the future to think about the implications of their work?

GeorgeTirebiter 9y ago
I completely agree. CS started often from the Math department, sometimes from the Engineering department. Further specialization is to be not only expected, but welcome, as complexity increases. Is there a better way?
- 131012 9y ago
  I totally agree. I really think it is heading toward a med school styled specialization. And with that will come the added prestige. CS is so remote from pure/natural sciences, it screams for standalone schools, like law and medicine. And with it, prestige and power. Why are people against that?
xxpor 9y ago
I just hope that they still include software engineering etc. I've interviewed many "AI specialists" who probably know AI pretty well (I'm not qualified to make that judgement) but they can't code their way out of a paper bag. Basic data structure errors, terrible organization, etc.
- throwawayjava 9y ago
  Internships work wonders here. No amount of coursework can substitute for doing the real thing. IMO internship placement, not coursework, will always be the best way to solve this problem.

by anonu 9y ago

GeorgeTirebiter 9y ago

I completely agree. CS started often from the Math department, sometimes from the Engineering department. Further specialization is to be not only expected, but welcome, as complexity increases. Is there a better way?

131012 9y ago
I totally agree. I really think it is heading toward a med school styled specialization. And with that will come the added prestige. CS is so remote from pure/natural sciences, it screams for standalone schools, like law and medicine. And with it, prestige and power. Why are people against that?

xxpor 9y ago

I just hope that they still include software engineering etc. I've interviewed many "AI specialists" who probably know AI pretty well (I'm not qualified to make that judgement) but they can't code their way out of a paper bag. Basic data structure errors, terrible organization, etc.

throwawayjava 9y ago
Internships work wonders here. No amount of coursework can substitute for doing the real thing. IMO internship placement, not coursework, will always be the best way to solve this problem.