Game theory and artificial intelligence

Is it possible to win every time? Whether it is chess, checkers or nine men’s morris, every player dreams of guaranteed victory. But is it really possible? Can you optimize your strategy to leave your opponent with no chance of winning? This is what participants in this pre-university week will try to determine as they code their own game prototypes.

Combining algorithmics and game theory, this pre-university week from EPFL’s School of Computer and Communication Sciences invites participants to explore the various possible scenarios in each match and optimize their strategy to make the best move every time. It is the beginning of a fascinating journey into parallel universes, reflecting on every possible scenario, considering every move and fully exploiting every situation in a game.

In this virtually infinite exploration of possible game scenarios, as well as the ongoing quest for optimization, machines have become significantly more able than humans. How can we efficiently exploit their processing power to explore all these scenarios and select the best move every time? 

To answer this question, participants will examine a range of theories and techniques to code their own game prototypes and develop artificial intelligences capable of playing with style. Finally, students will be taught to apply these same concepts to other fields, including economics and geopolitics.

Practical information

When and where
July 1-5, 2024 at EPFL (Lausanne)
Timetable
From 9:00 to 17:00 (to be confirmed); a detailed program with the final schedule will be sent to the participants.
Who
High-school students who have successfully completed their first year of gymnasium.
Language
French (course materials available in French and English)
Teaching staff
Dr R. Edelmann and a team of EPFL students.
Costs
CHF 50.- (excluding VAT).
Lunch on the first day will be provided. Lunch on the other days and any accommodation costs are at the charge of the participants.
Registration
Online registration is closed.

Each student may register for one pre-university week per school year.
Exceptions may be considered if sufficient places are available.
Contact
Please contact the Education Outreach Department for any question: [email protected]