Newsgroups: comp.ai
From: stevem@comtch.iea.com (Steve McGrew)
Subject: Re: A programmable cognitive model for general purpose thinking
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References: <3252F775.647@mhs.elan.af.mil> <53dnaiINNs16@ADEN.AI.CS.YALE.EDU>
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In article <53dnaiINNs16@ADEN.AI.CS.YALE.EDU>, mcdermott-drew@cs.yale.edu (Drew McDermott) wrote:
>
>In article <3252F775.647@mhs.elan.af.mil>, Michael Wizard / Ultra Computer
> <heiningm%ts@mhs.elan.af.mil> writes:
>[snip] I dont want to build a specific program
>|> that  does the thinking. The thinking should be a set of connections
>|> between input data, a needs stack, knowledge that defines methods of
>|> attaining a solution, a set of rules that define a rational, and of
>|> course a random choice generator.
>|> 
>|> Anyone else got any ideas on this?
>
>Yes: stop immediately!
>AI has made progress by simplifying and narrowing the problems it faces.  An
>attempt to build a "general purpose personality" might produce a complex gadget
>upon which one can fantasize the existence of a "personality," but is unlikely
> to produce a device that actually does anything.

        I disagree with Drew McDermott.  What Michael Wizard describes is a 
sort of neural net.  A neural net is very simple-- until it has been trained.  
A neural net is also one of the most intelligent bits of technology we have.  
I suspect that Michael will run into a lot of difficulty constructing the 
program as he described it, and would urge him to study artificial neural 
networks before he dives into the project, and see if there are ideas he can 
borrow.  

Steve

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