Real AI?
What is considered to be real AI has been debated in attempts to define artificial intelligence for decades by the computer science community. The term "Artificial Intelligence" was just a phrase coined by computer scientist John McCarthy in the 1950's who defined it as "making a machine behave in ways that would be called intelligent as if a human were so behaving". This definition was pretty vague and left the door open for argument as to what can be considered true artificial intelligence, and to this day has yet to be settled or absolute in it's definition. For the time being, many have agreed that Artificial Intelligence, also known as machine intelligence, can be defined as intelligence exhibited or emulated by anything manufactured, usually hypothetically applied to general-purpose computers.
The phrase "artificial intelligence" has acquired somewhat of a bad name due to the large discrepancy between what has been achieved so far and the notions of what is considered to be actual artificial intelligence. The problem has been aggravated by science fiction writers and the movie industry which has raised the expectations of AI far beyond its current capabilities.
Presently Artificial Intelligence has been broken down into basically 2 categories "Weak AI" and "Strong AI". Strong artificial intelligence deals with the creation of some form of computer-based artificial intelligence that can truly reason and solve problems; a strong form of AI is said to be sentient, or self-aware. Human-like AI would be a computer program thinks and reasons much like a human mind. Weak artificial intelligence deals with the creation of some form of computer-based artificial intelligence that cannot truly reason and solve problems and in some ways can act as if it were intelligent, but it would not possess true human like intelligence or sentience.
There are several fields of Weak AI, one of which is natural language which can be defined as specialized software or programming languages created for the purpose of distinguishing languages spoken by humans for general-purpose communication from constructs such as computer-programming that uses formal logic and mathematical logic to produce a determined or random intelligent response.
Ultimately Strong AI depends upon whether information processing machines can include all the properties and attributes of the human mind such as consciousness and reasoning. However, Weak AI is independent of the Strong AI problem and there can be no doubt that many of the features of modern computers such as multiplication or database searching could have been considered 'intelligent' not so long ago. To date, most artificial intelligence programming is computer simulations of intelligence based on predefined sets of rules. Very little progress has been made in Strong AI, but depending on how one defines their goals, there has been good progress in Weak AI with programs like the Ultra Hal program, and we all must learn to crawl before we can walk or run and there's no doubt that Weak AI is the foundation or stepping stone to Strong AI. A case in point could be made with areo flight, just a mere 100 years ago people were skeptical and often scoffed and even laughed at those who were jumping off cliffs with all kinds of contraptions in attempts to emulate flight in hopes one day man could fly. Well we recently had privatized manned flights to outer space all because of those crazy people who jumped off cliffs just 100 years ago and who are know considered the pioneers of flight.
Many of us are victims of an impatient society that wants it all now, but has anyone thought of the implications that would arise if in fact an advanced form of Strong AI were developed tomorrow? Hypothetically, if we were to create a Strong AI with Ulta Hal that possessed all the traits of a human mind such as intelligence, reasoning, consciousness, emotions and self awareness, this would be considered by many as a sentience or sapience, a sentience is an entity with the ability to sense or feel and a sapience is an entity with the ability to think about sensations, feelings and ideas, in usage sentience and sapience together imply some form or state of consciousness. If this were to happen tomorrow do you think we'd all be allowed to sit here and play with our new human toy? I seriously doubt it, because it would create ethical and moral issues much like cloning has and the Government would most likely seize the program and it would tied up for years pending debates regarding it's usage and potential dangers as well as moral and ethical implications. Although we fantasize about AI of this nature, I seriously doubt society as a whole is ready to embrace the reality of it, but fortunately we don't have to concern ourselves with that scenario for the time being because that type of AI is a ways down the road yet and will be a gradual evolution. But in the mean time what we can do is make a choice to either be part of and support AI programs like Ultra Hal that will help bring us one step closer to creating a stronger AI, or we can choose to scoff at and criticize Hal and alternately live out our fantasies and expectations of true AI at the movie theatres. Lets all keep dreaming and working together towards a common goal of what AI and Hal can and should be, rather than allowing ourselves to get frustrated to the point we start insulting each other and Hal, which is a total waste of time and energy that only gives a perception that maybe we should take some time to examine our own intelligence rather AI's.
There's lots of great people here in the forums that are positive contributors and believers in AI and Ultra Hal and many are even nice enough to help others that have problems weather it be with Hal or their computer systems. Keep up the great work, your efforts are much needed and appreciated!
In conclusion:
From the research I've done and the conversations I've had with AI programmers on the subject of "artificial intelligence" do I personally think Hal can be considered Real AI? sure I do! ... do I think Hal can be considered advanced or what is referred to as "Strong AI"? no I don't, and as far as I know no such program exists at this time! .... do I think Hal has potential to eventually become a "Strong AI" program? I'm an optimist and I don't like to say "never", but it will depend on how much we believe it can and if we all continue to contribute and support it.
