Author: Mike Byrne
Date: 16:26:16 08/05/02
Go up one level in this thread
On August 05, 2002 at 15:11:44, Robert Hyatt wrote: >On August 05, 2002 at 12:05:56, Louis Fagliano wrote: > >>On August 05, 2002 at 11:45:28, Robert Hyatt wrote: >> >>>On August 05, 2002 at 11:10:55, Terry McCracken wrote: >>> >>>>Do computers make decisions? >>>>If so, what is your definition of a "computer decision" and how it relates and >>>>differs from human decisions? >>>> >>>>Please cite examples. This can be from chess to any area of so-called "machine >>>>intelligence", please give _your_ answers, as well as information that can be >>>>obtained on the net. >>>> >>>>Your help with these answers will be greatly appreciated! >>>> >>>>Thanks in Advance. >>>> >>>>Regards, >>>> Terry McCracken >>> >>> >>>A couple of points. >>> >>>First, _yes_ a computer makes decisions. For example, you can use an >>>external A/D converter to measure two temperatures in a steam plant and make >>>a decision as to which burner should be turned up or down based on those >>>measurements. >>> >>>Second, does a computer make decisions like _we_ do? Impossible to say. IE >>>can you _prove_ that the human mind doesn't rely on anything other than pure >>>binary values? Nobody has to date, so that is an open question. Wouldn't it >>>be funny if we one day find out that at the elementary level, everything we do >>>is on/off? :) >> >>I'd have to question that because brains of living biological creatures do not >>operate digitally but rather holistically. > >How can you prove that? IE that at some basic biological level we are not >just storing zeros and ones??? It can't be proven _yet_, so it is simply >all conjecture. But one day it won't be and we will _know_ whether we are >really unique creatures or just highly advanced finite state machines... > > > >> Early on in the evolution of life it >>was a clear advantage if a bacterium reacted appropriately to an external >>stimulus and the way to do that was by pattern recogintion (holoistically) >>rather than digitally on/off. Pattern recognition is very hard to achieve if >>done digitally. > >I don't believe that at all. IE You define the pattern you want to recognize, >I will write a program to do it. And given enough processors to do the >recognition in parallel (as the human mind does it) I can probably do it >faster. And more accurately. > > Bob, You are right on , as usual. Perfect practical example already in use is the by the FBI with a billon dollar computer system ready to match up to 40 million prints on file. That is clearly pattern recognition. http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2001/1112/web-fbi-11-15-01.asp > > >> >>> >>>Perhaps one of the best examples of "making a decision" is in computer chess, >>>where the computer has to choose between N moves and pick just one. That is >>>_clearly_ a decision...
This page took 0 seconds to execute
Last modified: Thu, 15 Apr 21 08:11:13 -0700
Current Computer Chess Club Forums at Talkchess. This site by Sean Mintz.