The future of artificial intelligence..

"But how would you judge the difference between AI and a set of parameters adapting slightly or being incorrectly used to resolve a situation?"

This has been well argued in AI circles. The answer is, basically, it doesn't matter. If something can give correct responses all the time it's just as good as a "real" AI.

But, alas, it doesnt have to give correct answers all the time to be true AI.... Humans make mistakes.
For me, it's how it analyzes a situation and how it calls upon past experiences to react... Agree or disagree?

What is Artificial Intelligence?

artificial intelligence
A property of machines that, if achieved, mimics human thought processes. Many researchers in artificial intelligence consider the abilities of "learning", reasoning, and decision making as essential to claims of machines possessing artificial intelligence.

Finally, as you will read, the definition includes words such as life, spirit and sensitivity. These are direct challenges to man's emotional and primal self. The forces that drive determination and the will to survive are as much a part of man's intellectual behavior as creating and reasoning. No definition should exclude this view.

"Artificial intelligence is the study of ideas to bring into being machines that respond to stimulation consistent with traditional responses from humans, given the human capacity for contemplation, judgment and intention. Each such machine should engage in critical appraisal and selection of differing opinions within itself. Produced by human skill and labor, these machines should conduct themselves in agreement with life, spirit and sensitivity, though in reality, they are imitations."

If you are interested in AI you should read:

STEPS TOWARD ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Marvin Minsky

Dept. of Mathematics, MIT

Originally posted by browha
Sure, it can become more and more powerful in terms of software, but if you dont give it hardware which it would require to do certain tasks, it, by definition, wouldn't be able to do them...
e.g. if you dont give it a radio, it wouldnt be able to communicate via radio waves.

See, that's the trick- if an AI's thought processing capacities go beyond that of a human's, it won't need radio waves to communicate via radio. It can send a messenger, or perhaps get someone to unwittingly free it.

That's one of the things you learn very, very quickly in System Shock- it takes one mistake -just one- and pandora's box is opened. Once the AI is out of the bag, it's goign to take control. For example, in the game System Shock 2, SHODAN doesn't need to be able to go out and manually kick aroudn her enemies. She convinces others to do that. She has no physicial body, no real way to interact with the world except viewing it through security cameras, and sending email. Yet, by the end of the game, all her enemies are six feet under- all except you, that is.

DE

[EDIT: Daniel Denett did some fine work on AI as well]

[Edited on 8-3-2004 by DeusEx]

A possible issue with AI...
This is where the difference between AI and humans will probably most likely be seen...
Imagine that we make contact with aliens.
They dont use a language at all similar to ours (e.g. nouns verbs adjectives), instead using something extremely different (I cant really speculate, you cant create something unique without basing it off something in reality).
A human would be able to process and perhaps slowly learn to become fluent in this language..
Personally, I doubt that an AI would be able to... If you're programming is written in one language, or perhaps if you are lucky, one language with capability to adapt to different (but similarly based) languages, then how would something completely revolutionary affect your system?

Remember Searle's Chinese Room? I think the idea is that AI doesn't need to understand the language. All it needs to do is react in a way that shows it does.

As for this entire language idea, there are a number of utilities that one may use to translate Terran languages, as well as passcode breakers to be harnessed to the use of linguistics. Here, have some link for no real reason:

basic Dennett

The Chinese Room

If you can, try to find the parable of the Milk-Buying Robot that Dennett made up. It's worth it.

DE

Creative computer....

www.siliconvalley.com...

Brilliant! We're all doomed, each and every one. The instant that thing becomes self-aware, I'm going to name it SHODAN, those it every sound clip I can and hope for the best.

DE