DARPA computer scientist and philosopher Paul Cohen question about the free speech for humans and…for computers.

Dr. Cohen joined DARPA as a program manager in September 2013. His research interests span artificial intelligence and include machine learning, language, vision, semantic technology, data analysis, information theory and education informatics.

That’s the kind of question you might expect from someone who holds a doctor of philosophy degree in computer science and psychology during the conference in St. Louis heard on Thursday.

He wanted the audience to think about these questions:

“Are you attracted or appalled by the idea of machines that have ideas and know how to express them?”
“What if you were lonely? What if they were bigots? What if you could each change the other’s mind?”

It was one of 10 thought-provoking opinions spoken by Cohen during a 5-minute speech to the crowd of computer scientists, academic and research, aimed to provide food for thought for anyone interested in computer science and machine learning.

Dr. Cohen holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Computer Science and Psychology from Stanford University, a Master of Science degree in Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego.