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Computers

by Mike Masnick

Mon, May 5th 2003 1:47am





Is Artificial Intellect Really Thinking?

from the does-it-really-matter dept

Roland Piquepaille writes "Can machines think? The question is tricky. In this Washington Times article, Fred Reed says that even if a computer can be labeled as artificially intelligent, the so-called intelligence actually is in the software. Reed says that even a chess program is made of building blocks -- typically a "move generator" and an "evaluation routine" -- which are not really intelligent. Reed also argues that most of us recognize intelligence without even having a clear definition of what it is. So who cares if machines are intelligent or not? He adds that "for practical purposes, and certainly in the business world, the answer seems to be that if it seems to be intelligent, it doesn't matter whether it really is." Check my blog for more comments."

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  1.  

    AI criteria

    identicon
    Patrick, May 5th, 2003 @ 8:12pm

    If we discount spiritual or metaphysical possibilities, are we not thinking machines of an organic nature? Seems to me the issue is so muddled as to what actually consitutes 'thinking' that it's impossible to make any kind of determination as to the feasibility of artificial intelligence. I think a set of criteria more oriented to the distinction between living beings and non-living things might be more appropriate. I would say AI has been achieved, on some very modest level anyway, if the following were true:
    1) Ability to respond to external stimuli in a non-arbitrary manner.
    2) Ability to make use of past stimulus/response experiences in responding to future stimuli.
    While this sounds overly simplistic, I don't think our current level of technology is adequate for the task.

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]


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