9781422280737

might play the part of a doctor, able to quickly compare a patient’s symptoms and medical history with a huge database of illnesses. FUNCTION VS. FASHION Many AI systems— often called AIs—look nothing like living beings because doing so might be less advantageous for them. Some AI robots have wheels or other special

tools that are more effective than human features for performing

certain tasks. But some AIs may be built to look like people or animals for social functions. We would react very differently to an AI being that looked like a person rather than, say, a refrigerator.

This UNIVAC computer from the mid-1950s took up most of a large room. It was one of the first computers capable of storing program instruction in its electronic memory.

You might think it would be great to have a robot to organize your closet and make your tea. But would a robot ever give you unhealthy food like potato chips or accept that your outfit is more trendy when it is untucked and messy looking? This would need a human touch. So far computers have difficulty taking into account factors they have not been “taught” or told how to deal with, but to count as an AI being, many say a machine must be able to learn and think for itself. As we will see later, there is fast progress toward AIs with not only independent thought, but also qualities such as consciousness, creativity, emotions, and a moral sense too.

14