CSC 550: Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
Fall 2004
HW1: AI and the Turing Test
- In the paper Computing Machinery
and Intelligence, Alan Turing described several
objections to the concept
of a thinking machine, and attempted to refute those objections. Which of these
objections do you find the most
credible? Or, conversely, which of Turing's refutations do you find to be the weakest?
Explain your reasoning.
- Turing's paper described a test for identifying Artificial Intelligence called the
human/computer imitation game,which subsequently became known as the Turing
Test. Suppose you were to serve as judge in the Turing Test. What line of
questioning would you pursue in order to distinguish between the human and the
computer pretending to be human? Explain your reasoning.
- Consider the three programs below, which converse with the user via a Web-based
interface. Interact with each of these programs, and comment on their performances.
How would you rank them in terms of sophistication? How did each perform on the line
of questioning you described in the previous question? What characteristics impressed
or amused you about them? Could you envision either of the three being extended to the
point where it might pass the Turing Test? Explain your answers.
- One of the best known criticisms of the Turing Test, and Artificial Intelligence in
general, is John Searle's Chinese Room
Argument. Summarize Searle's argument against AI, and comment as to whether you
find it convincing. Did reading this paper sway your view of the feasibility of AI?
Explain your reasoning.