| Artificial intelligence has been a goal since the | | | | minds work on a system level not on the level of |
| beginning of computers, why is it that after over | | | | the neuron. If we study what people do, what |
| 50 years of work there are still no systems out | | | | drives them then we will have an understanding |
| there that can be said to be intelligent. Computer | | | | of what is needed to make a system look smart. |
| power has increased by massive amounts, millions | | | | So where do we start? |
| has been spent on research but still no major | | | | Computers know nothing about the real world. |
| results. This article talks about the current batch | | | | People take years to develop an understanding of |
| of chatbots and where AI should be going. | | | | the world; this "assumed knowledge" is taken for |
| I should state at this point that I believe | | | | granted but is a vital part of what makes us |
| intelligence is a set of processes in the brain that | | | | what we are. Even a child knows a bird can fly, |
| is perfectly possible to emulate in software so | | | | flames are hot and knives are sharp and can hurt. |
| that a true artificial mind can be produced. I have | | | | Computer systems know nothing about any of |
| been interested in Artificial intelligence almost since | | | | this, they have no assumed knowledge. |
| I first got into computers over 30 years ago. The | | | | If a computer system is to be intelligent it must |
| promise of making computers smart, being able | | | | have assumed knowledge, it must either have |
| to talk to them seemed like a tantalizingly close | | | | ways to accumulate this knowledge (camera's and |
| dream. How hard could it be? The fame and | | | | microphones) or we must give the knowledge to |
| fortune that would follow the person who first | | | | the computer. Chatbots or any AI system must |
| worked it out would be epic. I was hooked. | | | | have "assumed knowledge". Ideally a system |
| 30 years later and I am still interested but the | | | | should learn this assumed knowledge but the |
| dream is just as far away now as it was then. | | | | technology to do this is another whole subject on |
| What happened? | | | | its own. So to produce a system in a reasonable |
| In a nutshell, nothing much. | | | | time we must give the knowledge to the system |
| Researches worked on the problem, systems | | | | at the start. |
| were built but no real results, no systems then or | | | | Knowledge is not everything. |
| now produce any sign of real intelligence. There | | | | Knowing stuff does not make you intelligent, using |
| are a number of systems (so called chatbots) | | | | those facts to your advantage is a sign of |
| which are designed to look like intelligence. I guess | | | | intelligence. Assessing advantage is the next key |
| the most famous is the chatbot called ELIZA | | | | to intelligence. Even simple creatures discover |
| which was designed to act like a computer | | | | techniques and new methods to get food, fight |
| psychologist. It was simple and had a stock set of | | | | enemies and stay warm, they assess what |
| answers to certain keywords typed by the user. | | | | happens and form opinions on those events |
| Obviously the results were patchy, it fooled some | | | | designed to give advantage. Any AI system must |
| people but very quickly showed up as just a toy. | | | | be able to assess advantage to it and therefore |
| There have been a number of systems since | | | | must have goals. You cannot access an |
| then that have tried to continue this line of work. | | | | advantage if you don't know what you want |
| I have designed a few myself, they scan the | | | | need. |
| user input to try to get a sense of what the user | | | | Mood. |
| is saying and then use a set of prepared answers | | | | All intelligent systems have moods (emotion), |
| to give the impression of a real person giving real | | | | sometimes they are angry, happy, sad, violent, |
| answers. These systems have real limitations and | | | | and passive. These mood varieties are designed |
| are still no where near what is needed. | | | | to aid the individual to survive but they also have |
| There are a number of other systems based on | | | | a direct effect on intelligence, the mood you are |
| neural nets that are designed to emulate how the | | | | in directly effects the way you think, work things |
| human brain works (a series of cells interlinked). | | | | out and assess advantage. |
| Since they are designed to work in similar ways | | | | In summary all intelligent systems must have: |
| to the way the brain works it is a valid approach. | | | | - Priority (Goals) |
| Again after decades of work not much of any | | | | - Advantage Assessment |
| use has been produced. This approach is similar to | | | | - Moods (Emotion) |
| trying to work out how a computer works by | | | | + |
| studying a transistor. It may work but it is going | | | | - Assumed Knowledge |
| to be very difficult. | | | | I will shorten this list to p.a.m. + a.k |
| So what do we do? How can we progress after | | | | In my next article, I will discuss each of these |
| all this time. It is my assumption that if you mimic | | | | elements in more detail and how we might go |
| the way people behave then we can build | | | | about building this into a software program. |
| intelligent systems, we should copy the way our | | | | |