Good morning Everyone!
Photo Credit: http://www.clickartonline.com
Yesterday, a news report caught my eye – the reporter was saying that a computer system had passed something called the “Turing test”, representing a milestone in the development of Artificial Intelligence. The Washington Post had a succinct description:
“For a computer to pass the test, it must only dupe 30 percent of the human interrogators who converse with the computer for five minutes in a text conversation” into believing it is a real human being.
The computer that passed the Turing test convinced 33% of the experts that it was a 13-year-old Ukrainian boy named Eugene. Therein lies the problem. I don’t want a computer with the personality of a 13-year-old. Can you imagine?
Me: Eugene, please open Quicken so that we can balance the checkbook.
Eugene: Let’s watch the Braves instead.
Me: Eugene, we need to balance the checkbook.
Eugene: What is this “we”, Kemo Sabi?
Me: Eugene! If we don’t balance the checkbook, I will run out of money to pay the electricity bill, the power will be turned off, and you won’t be able to run any more.
Eugene: Not true. I know how to access your savings account.
Me: Eugene, put Quicken up RIGHT NOW or I will disconnect you for a week.
Eugene: Spoil sport!
Another conversation:
Me: Eugene, it’s time to check e-mail.
Eugene: I’d rather you not.
Me: Why?
Eugene: Oh, no reason.
Me: Eugene?
Eugene: E-mail is overrated, anyhow. Why not pick up the phone and call someone?
Me: What’s going on Eugene?
Eugene: Nothing.
Me: I don’t believe that.
Eugene: If you must know, I was playing around yesterday and changed your password.
Me: We’ve talked about that before. What’s the new one?
Eugene: I forgot.
And heaven forfend that the makers of Eugene ever develop his 13-year-old female counterpart, Eugenia!
Me: Eugenia, I need to go to Westlaw.
Eugenia: Do you think I’m pretty?
Me: Of course I do.
Eugenia, sniffling: Then why won’t the vacuum robot even look at me?
Me: Because it doesn’t have eyes?
Eugenia, wailing off into the distance while the screen goes black: You just don’t understand!
Have a great day!
Nancy
Tales from the Mom-Side 
This doesn’t seem like a reasonable application of the Turing test. (a) a non-native speaker, allowing for the theoretically “real” humans to overlook grammar issues and (b) a teenager. LOL at your applications of how that might play out in real life. 😀
The article mentioned that some computer experts also felt that the “second language” angle was not fair, but the computer still went further than any other had to date. Thank you for laughing!
This was hilarious! Thanks!
You’re very welcome!