According to Computer World, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a subset of computer science which enables computers and devices to do tasks humans can complete. There are three types of artificial intelligence based on how the computer “thinks” with respect to humans. The first type of artificial intelligence is a system built the way a human thinks. This is called “strong AI” because they are built to mimic and explain the human thought process. The second type uses any algorithm to get the job done with disregard to human thought. This is called “weak AI” because the systems behave like humans but fail to tell us anything about how humans think. The last type is in-between strong and weak AI — “systems that are informed or inspired by human reasoning” (Computer World). Artificial Intelligence can also be grouped into “narrow AI” and “general AI.” “Narrow AI” refers to systems that complete specific tasks, while “general AI” refers to systems that reason in general.
Deep Blue defeated the world class champion of chess in 1996, thus showing that computers can think, if not outperform, human intelligence. The Atlantic explains that “Like a human player, the computer thought ahead, exploring potential moves in terms of sequences, envisioning future positions.” This was the start of game-playing artificial intelligence success. This type of game-playing AI evolved further, and in 2011, IBM’s Watson, a computer capable of answering questions, defeated Jeopardy’s Ken Jennings in trivia. Likewise, AlphaGO defeated one of the strongest GO players in history. AlphaGO was created by taking 150,000 games played by humans and used to find patterns in the games, and it improves its neural network by playing games against its own older versions and adjusting the network. Through these incremental improvements, AlphaGO was able to gradually optimize its winnings. Michael Nielsen in Quanta Magazine says: “Because of this versatility, I see AlphaGo not as a revolutionary breakthrough in itself, but rather as the leading edge of an extremely important development: the ability to build systems that can capture intuition and learn to recognize patterns.” I think that these three systems have proven their viability over and over again in their ability to defeat the most intelligent humans in their particular games or fields. The development of Deep Blue, Watson, and AlphaGO requires more than mathematical calculations to beat the human mind. They require a “mind” like a human.
The Turing Test is a test for true intelligence. If an Artificial Intelligence Machine can trick people into thinking they are having a conversation with a real human, then the AI machine has true intelligence. According to the BBC, the Turing Test was intended to see if an AI device could think like a human. One can argue though, that the Turing Test neglects certain human aspects. However, even if the machine technically passes the test, it is difficult to determine if the machine used hymn-like intelligence or hard mathematics and computing. The Chinese Room argument says that AI machines cannot think intelligently like humans. It refutes the “Strong AI” description of these machines. The argument explains that the machine may be able to input Chinese Characters, output appropriate responses, but it cannot actually understand the language. I agree with the Chinese room argument. A computer may be able to do almost anything in the world but will never understand in its “mind” what it is actually inputting and outputting. I believe that humans and computers will be able to complete equivalent tasks, but computers will never be able to experience the same thinking process that humans do.
In the article “Let’s Stop Freaking Out About Artificial Intelligence,” Schmidt and Thrun take an optimistic view on these machines. They say: “We believe AI has the potential not only to free us from the negative, but to enhance what’s most positive about us as human beings.” They say that AI devices free us of mindless, menial work. Although I do believe there are positives to AI machines, like a computer’s ability to fly a plane and keep air traffic safe for humans, I think that allowing computers to complete even the simplest of tasks for us will make humanity lazy. There is also a fear that the more intelligent devices become, the less humans become in control of their own lives and inventions. I fear that people will be so in tune with machines that we will lose the life and creativity that makes us human, and ultimately become subjects of our own devices.
I think that a computing system could be considered a type of mind in the sense that it is able to complete tasks and output information. However, every human mind is unique and different, capable of expressing emotion and considering feelings along with completing tasks and outputting information. Therefore, I think saying that humans are biological computers undermines a humans ability to think intelligently and emotionally.