Newsgroups: comp.ai
Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!maytag!watdragon!violet!cpshelley
From: cpshelley@violet.uwaterloo.ca (cameron shelley)
Subject: Re: What Has Traditional AI Accomplished?
Message-ID: <1990Oct9.184502.106@watdragon.waterloo.edu>
Sender: daemon@watdragon.waterloo.edu (Owner of Many System Processes)
Organization: University of Waterloo
References: <69367@lll-winken.LLNL.GOV> <1990Oct7.003647.1666@watdragon.waterloo.edu> <69460@lll-winken.LLNL.GOV>
Date: Tue, 9 Oct 90 18:45:02 GMT
Lines: 72

In article <69460@lll-winken.LLNL.GOV> loren@tristan.llnl.gov (Loren Petrich) writes:
>In article <1990Oct7.003647.1666@watdragon.waterloo.edu> cpshelley@violet.uwaterloo.ca (cameron shelley) writes:
>>In article <69367@lll-winken.LLNL.GOV> loren@tristan.llnl.gov (Loren Petrich) writes:
>>>
>>>	I know that this question may well start a big flame war, but
>>>I would like an idea of exactly what traditional AI has accomplished.
>>>
>>  I won't try to speak for all of AI, but I would like to through in
>>my two cents worth here.  Firstly, an *exact* rundown of what AI has
>>been up to since its inception would take volumes.  Secondly, I'm not
>>quite sure what you're refering to with "traditional" AI...
>
>	I guess I should have been more explicit about it.
>
>	I meant AI with inference rules stated explicitly, rather than
>AI with inference rules that are "learned" by the system. Most of
>"traditional AI" has not been able to "learn", and perhaps that is my
>whole problem with the field -- how to derive whatever inference rules
>are necessary.
>
[stuff deleted...]

>	My basic question was, has there been any other AI application
>with that kind of success?
>
[stuff deleted...]

>	That's certainly fine, but has there been much outside of the
>AI lab? Are there many language-translator programs on the market?
>

  Well, the one that I know of is called METEO, which was developed at
McGill and translates english weather forecasts into french (or was it
the other way around?)  This may not sound like much, but since the
National Weather Service Bureau must perform the translation (and over
a large volume of documents), the fact that about 80% of what METEO
does needs no correction save them alot of time and money.

  I recall summer work, as an undergrad, in the automated truck assembly
plant that GM Canada runs in Oshawa.  The programs that run some of the
robots and welding arms would have likely been considered AI ten years
ago or so.  They also have expert systems for problem diagnosis with
both parts and systems, and are actively working on more.  But that
sort of thing is just not sexy anymore. :>

>	I was not insisting on any such thing. As I commented earlier,
>I was wondering if there was any other success comparable to computer
>algebra.
>
  On the subject of commercial success in AI, I have heard much in the 
past about the Japanese efforts to build a machine translator from
japanese to english and vice versa.  Does anyone know what has become
of this?

>
>$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
>Loren Petrich, the Master Blaster: loren@sunlight.llnl.gov
>

PS.  I have never thought of computer algebra as AI before.  Why do
you place it there?  (I'm just asking out of curiousity, not to 
criticize.)  All computer programs manipulate data according to a set
of rules, but I always thought of AI as programming which attempts to
provide functionality comparible to some human cognitive ability(s).
Is algebra a cognitive ability, or is my definition too stringent?


--
      Cameron Shelley        | "Saw, n.  A trite popular saying, or proverb. 
cpshelley@violet.waterloo.edu|  So called because it makes its way into a
    Davis Centre Rm 2136     |  wooden head."
 Phone (519) 885-1211 x3390  |				Ambrose Bierce