Week 14

Do game-playing computers really demonstrate artificial intelligence?

Al Turing proposed the question, "Can Machines think?" over havlf a century ago.


"The phrase “The Turing Test” is most properly used to refer to a proposal made by Turing (1950) as a way of dealing with the question whether machines can think. According to Turing, the question whether machines can think is itself “too meaningless” to deserve discussion (442). However, if we consider the more precise—and somehow related—question whether a digital computer can do well in a certain kind of game that Turing describes (“The Imitation Game”), then—at least in Turing's eyes—we do have a question that admits of precise discussion. Moreover, as we shall see, Turing himself thought that it would not be too long before we did have digital computers that could “do well” in the Imitation Game." (http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/turing-test/)


I unfortunately didn't get to hear Prof. Hansen lecture this past week but I did a little research on Artificial Intelligence, the Tauring test if a human being can tell the difference between a computer message or a human reply through a computer or message. Can computer think, I would say yes, we built them, they use different ways to solve problems and a lot faster than our minds can.

I would half to say that they have a process in which they go through, so you could either say that processesing is a form of thought, but a computer needs input and an order, for instance in NHL their are four difficulties, rookie, pro, all- pro, superstar and that determines how hard the computer will compete against you, you are giving it an input and it is processing the information so it is thinking but "artificially" if you want to say that. During the game the opposing players can eventually anticipate all of the options.

Watson is a great example of a computer with artificial intelligence he is a competitor on Jeopardy and a super computer that can answer questions in "natural language" the only problems it had in the game was when questions was too short and the clues where too short as well. But he can understand the human language and speak back, he stores information and can learn from his so called mistakes in a way.

"What would a computer have to do to demonstrate intelligence?"

I am big into sci-fi and I feel as if Watson is intelligent, alongside the robot from iRobot, or C 3PO these are fictional character in a movie but when a computer can reach those limits it will be scary, if it is even at all possible. Computer are intelligent, they help you when you mispell something in Word and the store loads of information on the world wide web. It is all personal opinion on what intelligence, artificial intelligence is. I wish I could have a droid of some sort but now in time they don't exist looking like that.