Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence Computers Think!

What is thinking? • The question is not ‘Do computers think the way humans think or at the same level? but whether they think – period. • Thought or thinking is a mental process which allows beings to model the world and deal with it effectively according to their goals, plans, ends and desires. • More efficient at thought than humans – this does not mean it is at a higher level.

Instinct • Humans do some things by instinct • Beating Heart (genetic structure determines the development of the part of the brain that controls the heart – you don’t control your heartbeat) • Computers do some things by instinct • CPU fan turns on when computer comes on (electricity causes fan to run – the software does not tell it to turn on or off)

RAM = Short Term Memory • Hard Drive = Data we commit to memory by memorization or things we deem important • You are the sum of your parents’ genes and your experiences – mathematical equation • A computer is the sum of it’s hardware and software.

Consciousness • Computers can be introspective (can reflect on past experiences) • Deal in absolutes - no gray area in memory (remember everything exactly as it happened) • computers do not forget what they have learned • Humans are unable to remember everything exactly as it happened (eyewitness accounts most unreliable form of testimony in court) • Humans can fabricate false memories

Teaching • Humans know how to do things because they are taught. • Potty Trained • Computers know how to do things because they are taught. • Installing Software

Examples of Thought • Internet Explorer • Sites you frequent regularly – saves data so that it opens faster, deletes data pertaining to sites you rarely view. • Computer knows to do this because it has been taught to do so • Memorizing by repetition • Humans remember things that they encounter frequently (memorizing vocabulary words but repeating them over and over)

Protection • Classic example of thought: • A person is taught that something is dangerous to him, so he does not do it (not eating poison or doing something that is harmful to your health) • Computer is taught that something is dangerous to it, so it does not do it (virus scanning software recognizes a dangerous process and does not allow it to run)

Computers are like Children • Lower level thought processes – computers cannot think at the level of an adult, yet. • However, just because a child cannot think at the same level as an adult, does that mean that the child is not able to think?

Computers are like Children • What will a child do when encountering chocolate in a wrapper for the first time? • With no previous exposure • Wants to eat it but does not know how to open the wrapper • With previous (personal) exposure • Knows how to open the wrapper and can eat it, because it wants to • After being taught that chocolate is bad for your teeth • Wants to eat it, but has been taught not to do so.

Children are like Computers • What will a computer do when encountering a new process for the first time? • With no previous exposure • Intrinsically designed to run basic processes – however, more complex processes (MS Word with a virus) cannot be run • With previous (personal) exposure • With Windows installed, MS Word with the virus can be run • After having virus software installed • Will attempt to run the process, however, it’s ‘teaching’ will prevent it from doing so. • It is important to note that without being taught, the computer will run the virus anyway. • If all causes of a preference were exposed, it would (in fact) no longer a preference, but would be a predisposition

Personality/Genetics • Where do the “goals, plans, ends and desires” come from? • They originate in onlytwo places: Nature (genetic predispositions) and Nurture (developmental environment) • Genetics = hardware (Compaq, Dell, Gateway, Mac) • Developmental Environment = software (Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox) • Computers, like humans, will act a certain way based on these two characteristics.

We understand how computers work/think because we created them. • When you came into Comp Sci 1 did you understand how your computer worked? No, but you accepted that others know exactly how it worked/thought and it was no longer mystical. • Nobody knows exactly how people work/think – so it is obviously something that cannot be applied to anything else

Creativity • Sum and expression of experiences • The ‘illusion’ of creativity • Creativity is ultimately where one person makes connections which another doesn’t

Deceptive Simplicity • Computers allow us to examine the most basic principles of thought • Indeed, each method we write in lab should exemplify the role of problem solving in computers and humans • Again, the only reason we assume that computer do not have goals and desires, is because we know (without a doubt) what the causes of its actions are • Therefore, it is unfair to lump computers (even the most simplistic computers) into a non-thinking category

Bias • Humans believe that since we can manipulate computers, they don’t think for themselves. • Yet a baby is manipulated by it’s parents (potty-training, anyone?) does that mean it doesn’t think for itself?

Fundamental Understanding • Having a “fundamental understanding” of a piece of information is nothing more than the utility of the information – how it is useful. • A child does not have a fundamental understanding of why he or she should use a toilet when going to the bathroom. It is taught by it’s parents that it is useful to do so. • This teaching instills in the child an understanding of hygiene and courtesy to other people • “Understanding” in this sense is only how being potty-trained is useful to these two ends (or how being potty-trained is useful in avoiding punishment)

References • Making Machines Creative http://www.psych.utoronto.ca/~reginold/courses/ai/cache/creativity_article,_v2.html • AI Tutorial http://www.psych.utoronto.ca/~reginold/courses/ai/ai.html • Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/artificial_intelligence

Artificial Intelligence