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Can you solve the rogue AI riddle? - Dan Finkel

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TEDEd Animation

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A hostile artificial intelligence called NIM has taken over the world’s computers. You’re the only person skilled enough to shut it down, and you’ll only have one chance. Can you survive and shut off the artificial intelligence? Dan Finkel shows how. Lesson by Dan Finkel, directed by Artrake Studio.

Additional Resources for you to Explore


This video was inspired the by a game called Nim that has been played in various forms for centuries. The fundamental structure of Nim-style games is that there are one or more piles of objects, and certain rules for removing objects from the piles. There are always 2 players in Nim. Want to try? Here, the educator explains how to play one variation.



Nim can even be played by younger students simply by making the numbers smaller.



Looking for more math games? Check out the educator’s website.

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About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Daniel Finkel
  • Director Outis
  • Associate Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott, Elizabeth Cox
  • Content Producer Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
  • Narrator Addison Anderson
  • Fact-Checker Brian Gutierrez

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