Phil@JASPER.PALLADIAN.COM (Phil Stanhope) (03/05/87)
>Date: Wed, 25 Feb 87 10:41:16 -0800 >From: Amnon Meyers <meyers@CIP.UCI.EDU> >Subject: Hardware vs. AI > > I disagree with the notion that hardware problems have 'nothing to do with > AI'. While discussions of LISP and PROLOG dialects are interesting, they > appear to me to have no more relevance to 'AI' than do hardware issues. > Likewise discussion of the operation and environment provided by LISP > machines and other workstations. Likewise philosophical discussions of > the mind. My point is that it is not useful to try to define AI too > narrowly. There is a theory and practice of AI, and AILIST seems to stress > the theory. It would be nice if the 'practice' were taken up somewhere > as well. > > I can certainly understand that the AILIST is already overburdened, and > that the moderator already does too much work (and a fine job as well). > THOSE should be the reasons for excluding hardware issues, not arbitration > about what is and is not relevant to AI. I concur but would also like to add something that my father, who has never worked in the fields of computer science or artificial intelligence said to me awhile ago. He thought that AI should stand for the "Avoidance of Ignorance," which implies a few things: (1) intelligent behaviour, or the emulation thereof, helps one to solve problems ... (2) learning from mistakes, i.e., not remaining ignorant or naive about problems and their solutions ... (3) being able to inform other people/machines/users of ones knowledge that they've gained through experience ... If doing the above means learning more about: (1) software engineering techniques, algorithms, and languages (2) current research and its applications (3) hardware that is currently available (4) last but not least, the philosophical and epistemological underpinnings of intelligence and behaviour, then these are all valid topics of discussion that, given space and interest, should be posted on this list. Philip Stanhope Palladian Software, Inc. Cambridge, MA. 02142 [Agreed, but it is that "given space and interest" that is the troublesome part. My own orientation is towards algorithms and techniques. Software (e.g., expert system shells) is also discussed in AIList since it is so closely tied to techniques. The coupling to hardware is much looser, and there are already several lists relating to workstations and particular hardware systems. It seems logical to break off hardware as a separate discussion topic so that only those who are interested need to scan (and pay for) the traffic. The same may be true of other topics currently carried by AIList, but there seems to be a shortage of moderators. Most of the lists that have spun off (e.g., NL-KR@Rochester, neuron%ti-csl.csnet@RELAY.CS.NET) seem to be doing just fine, and I'm sure the readers appreciate the increased ease of culling and saving the messages of interest to them. -- KIL]