How do you build a Learning Machine?
In 1968, the idea of computer aided participatory design was a foreign concept for architects. The typical architectural office was comprised of people sitting and standing composing construction and design documents in front of large desks from morning till night. An Architectural theorists, Nicholas Negroponte, at this time was theorizing about what the world would be like if architects had machines that could compute, process, and share information. Negroponte was thinking about creating a system where the computer would be capable of handling the small details as well as helping the architect manage all aspects of a large scale project. Thus, allowing the designer/user/architect to focus more on the important aspects of the design. 20 years before advanced computer aided design systems and software was designed, Negroponte was asking questions. Can a machine learn about architecture? Can machines learn about learning about architecture? Can a machine be designed to repeat tasks? Yes! Can they associate courses of action with goals? Can they be self improving? Simultaneously being ethical?