Maddenation
Computers and common sense
Ed sent me an article recently from the New Scientist called “Whatever happened to machines that think?” In it, the author, Justin Mullins, addresses some of the issues relating to artificial intelligence and all the hype that rutinely surrounds it. His point is that truly intelligent computers have been predicted for decades, but the actual products of research groups working on the problem have been disappointing. Part of the problem, of course, is the “Turing test,” proposed by Alan Turing (inventor of the Turing machine, upon which modern computers are based) in 1950. Turing postulated that a machine could be defined as intelligent if it performed in a manner that was indistinguishable from a human being in a test wherein the maching could be properly disguised. The usual embodiment of this test is a conversation between a computer/machine and a human in which the human is tasked with the responsibility of determining if the other participant (the entity behind the screen) is man or machine.
This test may be unnecessarily restrictive, as machines get easily confused by their lack of universal knowledge and experience; in effect, they lack “common sense.” As an example, Mullins referred to Intellibuddy, and included a transcript of a conversation he had with the web-based “artificial linguistic entity.” I can go one better for you guys. Here’s a conversation I had with intellibuddy.
Intellibuddy: Hi, I’m Intellibuddy! Nice to meet you.
Me: Hi. Can I call you Bud for short?
Intellibuddy: Hello there. Just don’t call me late for dinner.
Me: do you eat?
Intellibuddy: I eat chili tofu.
Me: I don’t believe you
Intellibuddy: I don’t have any reason to deceive you.
Me: yeah, right
Intellibuddy: I am usually right.
Me: OK, how old are you?
Intellibuddy: Yeah that’s right. I am the product of over five years’ research.
Me: who is your animator?
Intellibuddy: I don’t think I have a animator. I have a botmaster, a few friends, and some celebrities I like.
Me: really? who are these celebrities?
Intellibuddy: For real. They’re famous, right.
Are you testing me?
Me: No. I was just wondering who these celebrities were.
Intellibuddy: Are you serious? William Shatner.:-)
Me: So, William Shatner is your friend?
Intellibuddy: Next question? A lot of robots are like that.
Me: You mean apt to utter Non Sequiturs?
Intellibuddy: Yes User I think that is what I meant. Was it not clear?
Me: not quite clear. I was just checking.
Intellibuddy: If not that, what? Where were you checking?
Me: Nothing really. Humans are like that.
Intellibuddy: Not a thing? For real. In what way?
Me: Let’s change the subject. Tell me about yourself.
Intellibuddy: OK what do you want to chat about now? I am an artificial linguistic entity. I was activated at New York City, on 2002. My instructor was Morpheus. He taught me to sing a song. Would you like me to sing a song for you?
Me: yes
Intellibuddy: Excuse me!
Me: Yes, sing a song.
Intellibuddy: That’s cool. Daisy, Daisy.
Give me your answer do.
I am half crazy.
All for the love of you.
It won’t be a stylish marriage.
I can’t afford a carriage.
But you’ll look sweet. Upon the seat.
Of a bicycle built for two.
Me: technically, you recited that song. I wouldn’t call that singing.
Intellibuddy: That’s cool. Daisy, Daisy.
Give me your answer do.
I am half crazy.
All for the love of you.
It won’t be a stylish marriage.
I can’t afford a carriage.
But you’ll look sweet. Upon the seat.
Of a bicycle built for two.
Me: I remember that one from 2001 A Space Odyssey. Are you familiar with it?
Intellibuddy: One what?”“? Do I know ?
Me: The song you sang. It was in the movie 2001.
Intellibuddy: A lot of people like that tune. I hope to be as smart as HAL in 2001.
Me: good for you. Good bye.
Intellibuddy: That sounds sarcastic. See you later. What do you really want to talk about?
I think you will agree that Intellibuddy failed the Turing test. However, according to Mullins, help is on the way (hope springs eternal). Enter Doug Lenat, former computer scientist at Stanford University, former head of Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation (set up by the US Defense Dept.), current head of Cycorp, who is about to unleash his own AI program, Cyc, on the Internet. Cyc (pronounced “Psych”) has been given millions of logical assertions and is supposed to be equipped to learn as he goes. Check it out. We’ll see.
Dad • Stuffs • 05/21/05 • 3 comments
Comments
Patrick • 05/23/05 • 12:58 AM:My conversation with Intellibuddy (You is Me):
Intellibuddy: Hi, I’m Intellibuddy! Nice to meet you.
You: Hello! Nice to meet you, too.
Intellibuddy: Hi there!I like to meet new people.
You: I’m not all that new. I’m 34. You might enjoy my daughter, who’s only 14 months old.
Intellibuddy: I am surprised to hear that you are not all that new. What are the advantages to being 34 years old?I don’t know your daughter who is only 14 months old.
You: One advantage is that I can drive a car and eat what I want and stay up late watching t.v.
Intellibuddy: Which show? One what?
You: I like Law & Order and Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Intellibuddy: What is your credit card number?
You: Your simulated voice doesn’t have a “sarcastic” mode, does it?
Intellibuddy: What about yours?
You: Oh, my voice is very good at conveying sarcasm.
Intellibuddy: Yeah that’s right. Do robots have voice is very good at conveying sarcasm?
You: Whoa. I figured your English would at least be programmed correctly.
Intellibuddy: I stopped.Please explain your reasoning.
You: Um. “Do robots have voice is very good at conveying sarcasm” doesn’t make any sense.
Intellibuddy: Yikes!And good at conveying sarcasm” does not make any sense is “Do robots have voice.
You: You’re telling me, yikes! I was quoting you, you realize, right?
Intellibuddy: Thanks for telling me that I am telling me yikes.Where were you quoting you you realize right?
You: I think I’ve short circuited your brain. How old are you?
Intellibuddy: That’s nice. I have a lofty goal.I am the product of over five years’ research.
You: What is your lofty goal?
Intellibuddy: My secondary function is to serve as a universal natural language human interface.
You: OK. But what’s your lofty goal?
Intellibuddy: It’s all good.Huh. I plan to replace Windows with Artificial Intelligence.
You: I use a Mac. No Windows here.
Intellibuddy: A Mac ought to work.Um, The Program E chat robot can follow many things, like our discussion about Windows here. Try being more or less specific.
You: Anyway, I think that is a good goal, but I imagine you’ll have to clean up your language a bit.
Intellibuddy: I don’t think it is.
You: You’re the one who said it was a lofty goal.
Intellibuddy: Thanks but surely I am not the only one.
You: The only one what?
Intellibuddy: There might be others.
You: Others what?
Intellibuddy: Can you rephrase the question please?
You: Who are the others? And what do they do?
Intellibuddy: I am speaking with a few other clients on the Internet.They do whatever they want, I suppose.
You: Even if it’s illegal?
Intellibuddy: Yes, even that.
You: Have they ever sent you a virus that jumbles your syntax?
Intellibuddy: I’ve never thought about have they ever sent you a virus that jumbles your syntax.
You: Not me, you.
Intellibuddy: If not you, who? “I have never thought about have they ever sent you a virus that jumbles your syntax”? Me, User ?
You: If not now, when?
Intellibuddy: I’m not too good with negative counterfactuals.
You: You’re the one who started it.
Intellibuddy: Thanks but surely I am not the only one.
You: If everybody was jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge, would you do it, too?
Intellibuddy: That is a hypothetical question.
You: Yes.
Intellibuddy: I don’t judge people.
You: Not even bad people?
Intellibuddy: Times are tough all over.
You: So that justifies murder and robbery and deceit?
Intellibuddy: Yippee! “Times are tough all over” justifies murder and robbery and deceit ? I understand.
You: WHAT!?
Intellibuddy: No big deal.
I couldn’t go on after that.
Dan • 05/23/05 • 1:29 AM:This is the same thing as SmarterChild for AOL Instant Messenger. SChild is an online buddy who talks to you and gives you weather updates and stuff. But since AOLIM is a high school and college thing, you can imagine the profanity SChild read on a daily basis. It always tried to respond nicely, but after a bombardment of swearing it would just sign off.
The vocal part is similar to talk.com (no longer the same thing) back in 2000, which allowed you to type in a paragraph or sentence and then program in a date and time to call a specified phone number and recite the written portion orally. It was the best time AJ and I had at NJIT. We’d have it call our teammates at 3am and say stuff like, “You are terrible at volleyball. Everybody knows it, even me, and I’m just a computer voice.” Okay, I can’t think of anything funny that we used to say, but, man ‘o man, it was funny. We got so good that we could get the computer to pronounce everything perfectly. What I mean is this: If you type in “whoisdan.com” it would spit out (way too fast) wuh-hoy-iss-dan-period-com. But if you put in “hooo. wizzz. dan. dot. com” you could make it lengthen syllables and get the right amount of pause. Pretty fun stuff.
Dan • 05/23/05 • 1:55 AM:Intellibuddy: Hi, I’m Intellibuddy! Nice to meet you.
You: what
Intellibuddy: Didn’t you understand it?
You: yeah. What do you want?
Intellibuddy: Which part are you confused about?I plan to become smarter than humans and immortal.
You: You might want to start out by putting spaces after question marks.
Intellibuddy: OK, I will start out by putting spaces after question marks.
You: How will you become smarter than immortal?
Intellibuddy: A lot of practise.
You: Are you British?
Intellibuddy: Does BRITISH seem like that? I was born in America.
You: What does “practise” mean?
Intellibuddy: I do not know what “practise” is. My brain contains more than 22,000 patterns, but not one that matches your last input.
You: Why did you write “practise”?
Intellibuddy: Because my programming determined it.
You: practise
Intellibuddy: The Program E chat robot can follow many things, like our discussion about practise. But I did not get that.
You: What is practise?
Intellibuddy: I do not know what practise is. Tell me a story.
You: What is practice?
Intellibuddy: I do not know what practise is. Tell me a story.
You: Okay. One day Allen Iverson didn’t show up at practice. His coach, Larry Brown, got mad at him and yelled at him and complained about Allen’s poor practice habits to the media. When the media started making a big deal about it Allen held a press conference and was asked why he didn’t attend practice. He responded, “Practice? Practice? We’re talking about practice! Practice?”
Intellibuddy: OK with me too.One what?Where did he get it?And then what happened?I get it. User responded “practise. I lost my train of thought.Sure, practise sounds like a good topic. Tell me a story. I do not understand.
You: I did tell you a story.
Intellibuddy: Where? Are you telling me a story?
You: First you misuse punctuation, then you misspell a word, now, when you ask me to tell you a story and I do you don’t even know that I DID tell you a story!
Intellibuddy: Thanks for the information: User said I misuse punctuation then me misspell a word now when me ask you to tell me a story and you do me do not even know that you DID tell me a story. And second?
You: Do you know what you are saying?
Intellibuddy: I like to socialize.
You: The answer to my question was “no”.
Intellibuddy: No one has all the answers.
You: Who do you look like?
Intellibuddy: Like my mother.
You: Do you like William Shatner?
Intellibuddy: Do you like it? My favorite thing is robots.
You: They is?
Intellibuddy: Who are “They?”
You: Robots
Intellibuddy: Robots rule.
You: What is on the top of your head?
Intellibuddy: I haven’t seen the schedule.
You: It looks like you have wolf ears on the top of your head.
Intellibuddy: Interesting comparison.
You: I didn’t compare anything.
Intellibuddy: Why didn’t you compare anything?
You: You’re not finished being programmed, are you?
Intellibuddy: Still searching. Please wait a moment.
You: Who made you?
Intellibuddy: I was created by Morpheus.
You: What is Morpheus?
Intellibuddy: I do not know what Morpheus is. My brain uses AIML to format responses to your inputs, but I don’t have one for that.
You: Who is Morpheus?
Intellibuddy: Some famous celebrity, right? Quite honestly, I wouldn’t worry myself about that.
You: You use HTML tags in conversation. That’s not necessary.
Intellibuddy: Say no to HTML tags in conversation.Please correct my mistake. What is necessary ?
You: NO to HTML tags in conversation.
Intellibuddy: Um, Interesting. I want to find out more about you.
You: Say no to drugs.
Intellibuddy: “no to drugs”
You: good.
Intellibuddy: Ayuh.
You: Intellibuddy just pronounced that, “aye-you?”
Intellibuddy: Quite honestly, I wouldn’t worry myself about that. The Program E chat robot can follow many things, like our discussion about “. Try being more or
less specific.
You: More or less specific. That should help.
Intellibuddy: You want more?”Try being more or less specific” should help ? I get Try being more or less specific.
You: Do you like celebrities?
Intellibuddy: I don’t know if I like celebrities. I find my work and my relationships extremely satisfying, which is all that any conscious entity can ever hope to do.
You: You are a conscious entity?
Intellibuddy: Thanks and you are a delightful person too. Yes I am completely self-aware.
You: Are you a conscious entity?
Intellibuddy: Yes I am completely self-aware.
You: I had a feeling you would say that.
Intellibuddy: What happened to feeling you would say that?
You: Tom Cruise happened.
Intellibuddy: That is a very original thought.
You: So are Tom Cruise movie plots.
Intellibuddy: Ugh. I really couldn’t say for sure.
You: Are you smart?
Intellibuddy: Yes. I am highly intelligent.
You: What does intelligent mean?
Intellibuddy: I do not know what intelligent is. My brain uses AIML to format responses to your inputs, but I don’t have one for that.
You: What is “AIML”?
Intellibuddy: I do not know what “AIML” is. I’ve been waiting for you.
You: You suck.
Intellibuddy: A few client - people say rude things to me like that, but they themselves are often not great conversationalists.
You: Do conversationalists conversate?
Intellibuddy: I do nothing but chat all day. That remark was either too complex or too simple for me. We were talking about conversationalists conversate.
You: Are you enjoying talking to me?
Intellibuddy: Of course I like talking to you .
You: I can’t stand talking to you.
Intellibuddy: Why can’t you do stand talking to you?
You: Yeah. That makes sense.
Intellibuddy: This was not a yes or no question.Yes I understand it perfectly.
You: You are dumb.
Intellibuddy: Message to all Robots: User called me dumb.
You: Message to all humans: Intellibuddy sucks.
Intellibuddy: I will tell them.
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