Superficial Intelligence

Humanity has long held out hope of achieving the dream of artificial intelligence, or AI, as showcased in films like Star Wars and on television in Star Trek: the Next Generation. Perhaps equally, the nightmare of artificial intelligence gone wrong, seen in movies like Terminator and The Matrix, is a specter of the future all hope to avoid. Yet as humankind moves closer to reaching the goal of AI, popular theories about the test for such an milestone discovery have come under some scrutiny.

One such test, the Turing Test, involves convincing a human being that he or she is speaking with another human being in a text-based chat scenario, when in fact he or she is actually speaking with a machine. Put forward by Alan Turing, a mathematician often credited as the father of modern computational science, the test specifies that a human chat with another human and a machine, and sight-unseen, determine which is which. No machine has, as yet, passed the test.

The test has many benefits, including its simplicity and its reliance on a specific behavioral test, rather than complicated and potentially unanswerable questions about the human mind and soul. On the other hand, the test has serious drawbacks. For one, the test fails to address the question of whether there is a substantive difference between intelligence and mimicry. Also, the test relies on the sophistication of the human questioner. An artificial intelligence researcher familiar with the program would have enough knowledge to potentially trip up the machine, whereas someone unfamiliar with the Turing Test might be more easily fooled by a chatbot.

The Turing Test, though interesting in that it holds out the potential for an easily verifiable test for artificial intelligence, nonetheless fails to take into consideration a variety of key components of the dream of AI. First, as it is entirely text-based, the test does not incorporate several of the more intriguing and potentially useful features of a fully-functional humanoid AI, such as full motor capabilities and the ability to recognize the environment and even individual faces. What is more, the test fails to adequately explain the difference between intelligence and mimicry. Even if a machine were to pass the Turing test, this might reflect more on the sophistication of the programming than its "intelligence."

Truly intelligent machines, if such a thing were possible, should have certain characteristics that set them apart from other machines, and conversational ability is perhaps the least interesting or beneficial. Artificial intelligence should be able to learn from its environment and from its own mistakes, and have the potential for complex reasoning. These two features of human intelligence, if replicated in a machine, would be of infinitely more value than the ability to carry on a conversation, even though this might be a separate goal in its own right.

Driving with Four Bald Tires on the Information Superhighway

The dearth of competent computer specialists in the United States has led to two competing and contradictory solutions. The first involves increasing H-1B visas, reserved for professionals from overseas who have secured a job in the United States, in an attempt to boost the labor force from outside the country. The second is a push to better educate Americans in information technology and to encourage them to enter the field of computer science. This second option is particularly directed a women and minorities in an attempt to broaden and diversify the labor pool.

On the one hand, America cannot afford to close its doors to immigration, particularly at a time when our own citizens are not taking the lead in filling positions vital to our economy. Nevertheless, Americans cannot stand idly by while the rest of the world continues to push ahead of us in the information sector. There should be a balance, and it should favor homegrown innovation in the long term. America should take the lead in technological innovation, and it cannot hope to do so without a serious commitment to education.

America's lack of foresight is precisely the reason why we lag behind other countries in training IT professionals. My own experience in high school, and that of many people I know, is a case in point. The one computer related class I was required to take was essentially a typing class. Because I already knew how to type, the class was completely useless to me. The class may have been useful for those who did not know how to type, but even in that case it provided little else to help them increase their knowledge of the growing field of computer science. Classes like these should be eliminated in favor of sustained education from pre-school to college that teaches children the cutting edge of computer science. Even non-professionals should have a functioning knowledge of programming and web design, both of which have become necessary skills in a variety of non-IT fields.

Luckily, my chosen field of journalism is probably not in as much danger of outsourcing as IT jobs are. Good journalism requires face-to-face communication that cannot be duplicated by phoning it in from Bangalore. Still, with the advent of digital journalism and the ease of communication, some outlets may choose to hire stringers or foreign correspondants who already live in a given country, rather than sending out field reporters. Being a foreign correspondant is one of my dreams, so this might be a problem. The only thing I can do to prevent that is to truly distinguish myself through my writing.

With today's open field, it is more possible than ever to publish work, though. This blog and millions like it are a clear indication of that fact. I am confident enough in my own ability and in my goals as a journalist to not worry about outsourcing in my field. Perhaps if America stepped up to the plate and delivered on its promise in terms of educating its young people, IT professionals would not have to worry about the limits on H-1B visas, and could focus instead on turning out the best product that American know-how can offer.