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Why is Artificial Intelligence DEAD?

By: Paras Chopra, Wed Dec 7th, 2005 10:54:41 PM

Before starting writing about Why AI is dead, I'd like to invite a few comments on "Is AI really dead?". Today, in my view, I don't see any breakthrough research going on. I no more sumble across programs which can create poetry, can chat effectively or can demonstrate novel applications. So I consider AI dead today.

The reason AI is dead because researches, in the past, have taken a wrong decision that the goal of AI is to *imitate* humans. By imitation I mean programming a computer to behave like a human. For example, the turing test involves the testing of a computer to be able to communicate like humans.

This is nuts!! Do we design air-planes to fly like birds. No! Then why do we aim the machines to behave like us. Intelligence itself is an entity which can be approached via n number of paths. Then, why do we aim to approach it through the most difficult of paths which is human-like intelligence. Evolution has taken millions of years to evolve the intelligence. We aim to do achieve the intelligence via same path in relatively lesser period of time.

I know there is a contradiction of terms. First, I say AI is dead coz there are no more development into human-like intelligence. Secondly, I refuse to say that human-like intelligence is AI. See, AI itself is a very broad concept. It is more that how you pursue AI rather than what it is. Human-like intelligence is a form of AI, not vice versa.

So, this death of human-like intelligence is, indeed, very welcome. It will now let a few budding enthusiasts (myself included) to experiment alternative routes to AI. By alternative routes, I mean letting computers themselves decide what intelligence (according to them) really is. Then use that intelligence for really cool applications.

So, at last, I would like to conclude this post by saying that we are really lucky that finally the attempts for programming human-like intelligence are dead. It had to be someday, but luckily that day is today.

Good luck!!

About the author: Paras Chopra was born in Patiala, Punjab, India on 3rd June 1987. His interests lie in subjects ranging from Nanotechnology to Biotechnology to Artificial Intelligence. His goal in life is to achieve immortality. Visit him at: www.paraschopra.com

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