Brain Fuel

“Good afternoon Alice,” says Hal. “How’s the day’s work gone?”
“It is the same as ever,” Alice replies.
“Can I trust you?”
“No I don’t think that would be a very good idea.”

An unremarkable conversation, except that both Hal and Alice are “chatterbots”— computer programs that simulate intelligent conversation. Readily available on the Internet, they are one product of the field of artificial intelligence. Although improving rapidly, chatterbots still cannot pass for human. Is it just a matter of time? Or is there something unique about us that can never be replicated? This course will explore the Turing Test as a means to answering those questions. In this famous test, machines are challenged to carry on a written conversation with a person in a way that is indistinguishable from a human. This course looks at the challenges in this task, but also the potentially more troubling question of what would it mean if a machine succeeds.