Are we close to a world where we will have self aware Artificial Intelligence? What are the minimum requirements for something to be labeled AI? What do you think about when you hear the term AI?

Explore this topic in this week’s Weekend Assignment. You could even use your virtual assistant to help you explore. ‘Hey Google…”


But before we poke the AI bear let us explore some information on the last Weekend Assignment, projects.

In our Friday Fact we learned that the Three Gorges Dam in China was a monumental project that took 17 years to complete. At full power the dam reduces around 31 million tonnes of coal consumption per year. This is a reduction of 100 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, which is great for the environment. However, the dam displaced more than 1 million people and has a reservoir around 600 kilometers in length that has disrupted the ecological balance in the region.

Excerpt from our Project Management course:
According to A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, a project is “a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.”

It is common for large building/construction projects, like the dam, to take years to complete, even decades. But some projects seem to have no end.

Such a project is the Sagrada Família, a large unfinished Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). Construction on the church began in 1882 and is anticipated to finally be completed in 2026. If all goes according to plan it will have taken 144 years to finish the project.

Another project that is taking many years to complete, but not as many, is the International Space Station. Planning of the ISS began in the 90’s, with the first module launched in 1998. Completing the space station will take more than 40 assembly flights. So far there have been 32 assembly flights, with 5 more flights scheduled to take place over the next two years.


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