speaker@umcp-cs.UUCP (09/17/83)
Finally, someone has come up with a fresh point of view in an otherwise stale discussion! Arizona!robert suggests that a machine could be classified as intelligent if it can discern intelligence within its environment, as opposed to being prodded into displaying intelligence. But how can we tell if the machine really has a discerning mind? Does it get involved in an interesting conversation and respond with its own ideas? Perhaps it just sits back and says nothing, considering the conversation too trivial to participate in. And therein lies the problem with this idea. What if the machine doesn't feel compelled to interact with its environment? Is this a sign of inability, or disinterest? Possibly disinterest. A machine mind might not be interested in its environment, but in its own thoughts. Its own thoughts ARE its environment. Perhaps its a sign of some mental aberration. I'm sure that sufficiently intelligent machines will be able to develop all sorts of wonderfully neurotic patterns of behavior. I know. Let's build a machine with only a console for an output device and wait for it to say, "Hey, anybody intelligent out there?" "You got any VAXEN out there?" - Speaker -- Full-Name: Speaker-To-Animals Csnet: speaker@umcp-cs Arpa: speaker.umcp-cs@UDel-Relay This must be hell...all I can see are flames... towering flames!