Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Critical Thinking Blog – Assignment #4-- Midterm Practice

Within the field of Computer Science, many have sought to decode the complexities of human intelligence, and create an artificial intelligence. In the graphic novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Phillip K. Dick , Rachel Eldon is an android that has an artificial intelligence that may be on par or exceeding the current capabilities of human intelligence. During, the Voight-Kampff test, she appears to be able to develop emotionally charged responses to some of the questions asked to her. In particular, when asked a question concerning her course of action in response to her hypothetical husband hanging up a picture of a nude woman atop a bearskin rug in his study, she fails to notice the subtleties in this loaded question (Dick 316). Due to her being an android, she decides the logical course of action is to not let him hang it up; therefore, she fails to notice that the real question was concerning the desecration of a deceased animal. The article, “Dream-Logic, the Internet and Artificial Thought” by David Gelernter, argues whether or not computers will reach ever an artificial intelligence that is comparable or superior to human intelligence. In one particular instance, he states that in order to close the gaps between these two forms of intelligences that computers will need to be able free-associate. He defines free-association as, “each new thought resembles or overlaps or somehow connects-to the previous thought” (Gelernter 260).  In this state of mind, computers should begin to develop their own unique ideas.

No comments:

Post a Comment