Can machines really think?
The Turing Test and
the Chinese Room
George Matthews
CC 2017
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From Functionalism to AI
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From Functionalism to AI
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From Functionalism to AI
If minds are really just programs running
in our human hardware, then it should be
possible to build a thinking machine, an
Artificial Intelligence, shouldn’t it?
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Possibilities
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Possibilities
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Possibilities
Logical: there is no contradiction in the idea of a
thinking machine.
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Possibilities
Logical: there is no contradiction in the idea of a
thinking machine.
Physical: thinking machines do not violate the laws
of physics.
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Possibilities
Logical: there is no contradiction in the idea of a
thinking machine.
Physical: thinking machines do not violate the laws
of physics.
Technological: we know how to actually build a
thinking machine.
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Possibilities
Logical: there is no contradiction in the idea of a
thinking machine.
Physical: thinking machines do not violate the laws
of physics.
Technological: we know how to actually build a
thinking machine.
Social/Moral: there is no strong reason we should
not build a thinking machine.
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The Turing Test
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The Turing Test
How can we tell whether a machine is intelligent?
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The Turing Test
How can we tell whether a machine is intelligent?
! Don’t we have to define intelligence first?
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The Turing Test
How can we tell whether a machine is intelligent?
! Don’t we have to define intelligence first?
! Don’t we have to “reverse engineer” ourselves to
build an intelligent machine?
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The Turing Test
How can we tell whether a machine is intelligent?
! Don’t we have to define intelligence first?
! Don’t we have to “reverse engineer” ourselves to
build an intelligent machine?
Turing’s answer: we do not need to define
intelligence.
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The Turing Test
How can we tell whether a machine is intelligent?
! Don’t we have to define intelligence first?
! Don’t we have to “reverse engineer” ourselves to
build an intelligent machine?
Turing’s answer: we do not need to define
intelligence.
We just need to talk to a machine and not be able
to tell its answers apart from human answers.
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The Chinese Room
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The Chinese Room
Searle doesn’t understand Chinese.
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The Chinese Room
Searle doesn’t understand Chinese.
The instruction book enables the room to pass the
Turing Test.
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The Chinese Room
Searle doesn’t understand Chinese.
The instruction book enables the room to pass the
Turing Test.
Computers function like this.
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The Chinese Room
Searle doesn’t understand Chinese.
The instruction book enables the room to pass the
Turing Test.
Computers function like this.
So Artificial Intelligence is impossible.
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Making sense of language
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Making sense of language
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Making sense of language
Syntax
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Making sense of language
Syntax
Rules for transforming symbols.
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Making sense of language
Syntax
Rules for transforming symbols.
“To form the past tense, add an ED to the end of
the infinitive form of the verb.”
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Making sense of language
Syntax
Rules for transforming symbols.
“To form the past tense, add an ED to the end of
the infinitive form of the verb.”
Computers are good at manipulating symbols
according to rules.
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Making sense of language
Syntax
Rules for transforming symbols.
“To form the past tense, add an ED to the end of
the infinitive form of the verb.”
Computers are good at manipulating symbols
according to rules.
Semantics
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Making sense of language
Syntax
Rules for transforming symbols.
“To form the past tense, add an ED to the end of
the infinitive form of the verb.”
Computers are good at manipulating symbols
according to rules.
Semantics
The meaning of the words we use.
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Making sense of language
Syntax
Rules for transforming symbols.
“To form the past tense, add an ED to the end of
the infinitive form of the verb.”
Computers are good at manipulating symbols
according to rules.
Semantics
The meaning of the words we use.
“Hund” means “perro” in English.
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Making sense of language
Syntax
Rules for transforming symbols.
“To form the past tense, add an ED to the end of
the infinitive form of the verb.”
Computers are good at manipulating symbols
according to rules.
Semantics
The meaning of the words we use.
“Hund” means “perro” in English.
Can computers grasp meanings?