Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!hi-csc!harper
From: harper@hi-csc.UUCP (Paul L. Harper)
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: Re: Artificial Intelligence and Intelligence
Summary: Re: Artificial Intelligence and Intelligence
Message-ID: <4081e1ba.75f0@hi-csc.UUCP>
Date: 27 Dec 88 15:19:00 GMT
References: <484@soleil.UUCP> <1654@hp-sdd.HP.COM> <1908@crete.cs.glasgow.ac.uk> <50@cs.columbia.edu>
Organization: Honeywell CSDD, Golden Valley, MN
Lines: 44

(Andy Lowry @ Columbia University Department of Computer Science)
writes:
> In article <4040a289.9d8d@hi-csc.UUCP> harper@hi-csc.UUCP (Paul L. Harper) writes:
> >I am continually amazed at the faith of AI "researchers"
> >(programmers?). I have seen nothing whatsoever from the AI
> >community that indicates there is any hope of producing
> >intelligence by running instructions on computers. 
> >
> >It is an incredible leap of faith, completely unfounded 
> >by science, to assume that computers can obtain the human
> >quality we call intelligence. Where is the scientific justification
> >for the assumption? 
> 
> I am continually amazed at the closed-mindedness of certain
> individuals.  On the contrary... it is an incredible leap of faith (in
> my book) to assume that this goal is unattainable.  That is, I cannot
> conceive of ANY argument that intelligence cannot be fabricated other
> than one based on a belief in God.  And that is a belief that I do not
> hold any part of, and that I consider an "incredible leap of faith."
> 
> That I believe "true" artificial intelligence to be attainable does
> not mean that I necessarily believe it will be attained.  That depends
> on a fair amount of luck, among other things.  It does mean that I
> consider it a worthy goal for research effort.
> 
> In fact, even if I were not so convinced that the goal can,
> theoretically, be achieved, I would still consider it a worthy
> pursuit.  How many programs of research are undertaken with full
> confidence in their eventual success?  Attempting to obtain a goal is
> certainly one valid way to go about seeing how attainable it is.

It is interesting that the response to my posting makes no
attempt at answering the major query, i.e. what about scientific 
justification? The justification is exactly that which I have complained
about, being "I have faith". I will grant that the feeling that "I'm on 
the right track" or something similar is viable in scientific pursuits, 
especially for us humans. But after so many years of AI promises, little
of consequence seems to have been produced.

A couple of questions:
What is ' "true" artificial intelligence ' ?
Will "true" artificial intelligence have consciousness?

              Paul