Why computers aren't amazingly smart
Artificial intelligence is the field of computer science with the goal of making computer more useful than they already are by making them receptive to their environment, giving them a novel way to store, process and expand their knowledge base and letting them make informed decisions based on the accumulated knowledge. As you can already see from the above definition that the field has a variety of sub-fields or places where one can contribute. Let's begin by talking about what motivates artificial intelligence.
How can the task of making decisions in machines ( which is mostly inspired by how humans think and act ) be understood as a process ? The best way to draw a parallel is to keep in mind that what the machine is essentially trying to do is act like humans albeit without a perfect resemblance. The state of art thinking machines are not even as good as a teenager. In fact, most would not be able to do simple tasks like differentiating a girl from a boy as fast and as accurately as we can. Now, why is that ? Obviously computer are a great invention and they have been the center of attention in every field for the past 25 years. Why is it then that the computers that can do so much for us are still inferior to humans when it comes to these basic tasks which seem so trivial one would think they're not even problems worth spending time on.
The answer is simple and yet it is not so straightforward. A computer does what you tell it to. The first mass produced computers were supposed to read instructions from punch cards and act. There was no scope of thinking. Seen from this perspective computers today are as dumb as the first computers which bore absolutely no resemblance to modern day compact devices that fit pockets and cover wrists. That being said there is a lot of work being done in the area of artificial intelligence to make a computer that is nearly as capable as humans are of perceiving, thinking and acting and more importantly having the infinite potential of getting better at all these tasks.
How can the task of making decisions in machines ( which is mostly inspired by how humans think and act ) be understood as a process ? The best way to draw a parallel is to keep in mind that what the machine is essentially trying to do is act like humans albeit without a perfect resemblance. The state of art thinking machines are not even as good as a teenager. In fact, most would not be able to do simple tasks like differentiating a girl from a boy as fast and as accurately as we can. Now, why is that ? Obviously computer are a great invention and they have been the center of attention in every field for the past 25 years. Why is it then that the computers that can do so much for us are still inferior to humans when it comes to these basic tasks which seem so trivial one would think they're not even problems worth spending time on.
The answer is simple and yet it is not so straightforward. A computer does what you tell it to. The first mass produced computers were supposed to read instructions from punch cards and act. There was no scope of thinking. Seen from this perspective computers today are as dumb as the first computers which bore absolutely no resemblance to modern day compact devices that fit pockets and cover wrists. That being said there is a lot of work being done in the area of artificial intelligence to make a computer that is nearly as capable as humans are of perceiving, thinking and acting and more importantly having the infinite potential of getting better at all these tasks.
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