CS 686Introduction to Artificial Intelligence

Units: 0.50
Level: Graduate
Faculty: Mathematics
Subject: Computer Science

When it runs

Ran in 7 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 2 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.

Goals and methods of artificial intelligence. Methods of general problem solving. Introduction to mathematical logic Mechanical theorem proving. Game playing. Natural language processing. Preference will be given to CS graduate students. All others require approval from the department.

Prerequisites

None listed.

Antirequisites

None listed.

Leads to

No course lists it as a requisite.

Fall 2026 sections

Enrolment from UW Open Data, which can trail Quest by up to two days. Instructors and rooms: Schedule of Classes.
Section	Class	Enrolled	Meets
LEC 001	6048	3 / 10	MW 08:30–09:50
LEC 002	6265	7 / 10	MW 10:00–11:20
TST 101	6602	10 / 20	Oct 29 19:00–20:50

Winter 2027 sections

Enrolment from UW Open Data, which can trail Quest by up to two days. Instructors and rooms: Schedule of Classes.
Section	Class	Enrolled	Meets
LEC 001	5561	0 / 38	TTh 13:00–14:20
LEC 002	5896	0 / 28	TTh 10:00–11:20
TST 101	6300	0 / 50	Feb 25 19:00–20:50

Reviewed on UW Flow

100% liked it100% easy100% useful

From 4 ratings on UW Flow. Read them all on UW Flow.

Discussed on r/uwaterloo

9 posts and comments in 9 threads mention CS 686, May 2017 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.

Spring 2024

Aug 17, 2024 Highly Recommend ECE 657 with Professor Amir Karimi! 9 points, 1 comment

u/sorrow4012: “… - Final Thought: - If you’re debating between ECE 657 and CS 686 because you’ve heard CS 686 is better—don’t, don’t, and don’t! ECE 657 is far superior: more applicable knowledge, better assignments, more engaging lectures, and of course, a better final exam. …”

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Winter 2024

Mar 29, 2024 Looking for Tutor: CS486/686 - Introduction to Artificial Intelligence 2 points, 4 comments

u/ZeeVictorianGoose: “Hello, I'm taking CS486 and trying to find a tutor to either help me both debug some python code or help cover some of the concepts leading up to the final. …”

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Winter 2022

Jan 7, 2022 What higher year cs/math courses usually use IClicker in person? 0 points, 3 comments

u/coolk2000: “Profs are discouraged from using iClickers past second year, you’ll be hard pressed to find a course that uses one”

u/alicexigao: “Not true. I use iclickers regularly when I teach CS486/686 in person.”

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Spring 2021

May 10, 2021 anyone on CS686 not able to take the quiz? 0 points, 7 comments

u/enkidugh: “I am on the quiz tab, but the button 'start the quiz' is missing.”

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Winter 2021

Apr 22, 2021 Would anyone share their experiences with CS486/686, STAT440/840, or STAT444/844? 3 points, 4 comments

u/BEWARETHEAVERAGEMAN: “All of them appear to be useful courses on statistical learning, and all are being offered this spring term.”

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Fall 2018

Dec 4, 2018 to future students of CS486/686 (spoiler alert) 44 points, 11 comments

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Spring 2018

Aug 1, 2018 Mmath CS coursework course selection 3 points, 3 comments

u/himanshi_1995: “… Other courses I was counsidering are CS 886/CS 889 (ADVANCED topics in AI / Advanced topics in HCI) and CS 686 (intro to AI. …”

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Fall 2017

Oct 28, 2017 Any way to disable UWCourseLinker from posting? 16 points, 26 comments

“posting a reply to my comment I find the bot annoying.”

u/Jackhofmann: “PSYCH 483 PSYCH 484 PSYCH 485 PSYCH 486 PSYCH 490R PSYCH 499A PSYCH 499B PSYCH 499C PSYCH 621 PSYCH 630 PSYCH 677A PSYCH 704A PSYCH 704B PSYCH 707 PSYCH 710 PSYCH 714 PSYCH 717 PSYCH 720A PSYCH 721A …”

u/Jackhofmann: “… 458 CS 466 CS 486 CS 488 CS 489 CS 499R CS 499T CS 600 CS 638 CS 645 CS 656 CS 658 CS 666 CS 686 CS 688 CS 697 CS 698 CS 745 CS 766 CS 768 CS 770 CS 798 CS 846 CS 848 CS 854 CS 858 CS 886 CS 898 CT 601 CT 603 CT 606A CT 606B DAC 202 DAC 204 DAC 305 DAC 308 DEI 612 DEI 613 DEI …”

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Spring 2017

May 9, 2017 Increased enrolment cap for CS486/686 33 points, 1 comment

u/chaldan: “… increased enrollment As of this morning, there are 37 students on the waiting list to enroll in CS486/686. Since we still have many empty seats in the classroom, I convinced the university to assign additional TAs and increase enrollment. …”

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Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026

Graduate Calendar, Fall 2026The official entry
Requirements for Fall 2026Waterloo’s requisite checker
Schedule of Classes, Fall 2026Instructors, rooms, live seats
Quest Class SearchWhere you enrol
Course outlinesSyllabi from past terms (UW login)
UW FlowStudent ratings and reviews
WClassesPast sections back to 2004, and who taught them

Calendar versions

Graduate Calendar

Older Graduate Calendars

In 42 terms, Fall 2006 to Winter 2024