Download Computers Think Like Their Users

Computers Think Like Their
Users
Jon Van
<Chicago Tribune>
on <the Press of Atlantic City>, page F1, April 3,
2005
Inexorable Emergence
• Machine intelligence is the inexorable
emergence of the new century, as asserted
by Ray Kerzweil in 2000.
• This paper provides two examples showing
such emergence is looming up.
Example 1 in Article
• Watson
– It watches what the user reads and writes and
can go online for information it thinks the user
might need.
– It costs $99 to thousands of dollars.
Examples 2 in Article
• A system being used in NICE Systems, Inc.
– Its software can determine when a phone caller
becomes emotional, which is used to monitor a
company’s call center conversations.
– It looks at the pitch, volume, tone, speed and
tempo of caller’s voice and watches how those
change over time.
Discussion
One More Example
• Thought-Catcher
– On CNN News, 2/2/2006, it reports that a
mechanism, worn on the head of a
handicapped, can move the pointer on screen
following the user’s ‘thought’. It is also able to
change TV channels at the will of the user.
Discussion
Faster vs. Smarter
• “Computers haven’t gotten more deep cognitively, but
they have gotten a lot faster.” “What we can do is use
that speed to do brute force calculations to solve
problems.” (p.1, col. 1, bottom)
• “...More speed makes computers more useful but
doesn’t endow them with intelligence.” (p.2, col.4)
• Faster speed can make computer smarter,
since it can scrutinize more possible options
in a short time and make smarter decisions.
Brute Force
• ‘Brute force’ is an approach of decision
making, which compares all possible
decision options, then pick the best option.
• A brute force approach is in trouble if there
are too many options.
Discussion
Can We Be Relaxed?
• “Computers have long been likened to human brains,
sparking fears and hopes that someday a collection
of silicon and wires would think like a person. But
even today’s most powerful units are not smart
enough to tie a shoelace or do anything most human
4-year-olds accomplish thoughtlessly.” (p.1, col. 2,
middle)
• Do we therefore feel relaxed that computers
will never think like us, based on the fact
that current computers are not as smart as 4year-olds?
Discussion
Prospective Near-Future
• Computer’s intelligence is growing
exponentially.
• Out intelligence remains unchanged.
• Once a computer is of intelligence of a 4year-old, then
– all computers have intelligence of that level;
– it’s not far for a computer to have intelligence
of a 40-year-old;
– it’s not far for a computer to have intelligence
of all 40-year-olds of mankind.
Discussion
Must Intelligence Be BrainLike?
• Electronic computers are getting faster, but speed
doesn’t endow it with intelligence. “We need to better
understand the brain’s architecture,... build a different
kind of computer modeled after that.” (p.2, col.4)
• Intelligence can be achieved in a way that is
different from ‘brain-like’ structure.
• Brain-like intelligence is not perfect. Its
flaws:
• Brain-like intelligence is a way to achieve
machine intelligence, but not the only way.
Discussion
Artificial Intelligence Approach?
• “Complicated problems are being solved these days
by using approaches having little to do with artificial
intelligence, said IBM’s White. (p.2, col.3)
• What is on earth the “approach of artificial
intelligence”?
• It is still a controversial issue.
• A misconception:
– An intelligence function is no longer viewed
intelligent once it is achieved by machines.
(such as smart mop, spelling check)