Just Checking, But Can Machines Think?
No program has yet to pass the famed Turing Test, but another set of would be HAL 9000s is about to try.
A competition this week at the University of Reading in the UK will give some would be thinking machines a chance to show their stuff. The Guardian describes the basic set up of the test:
The test will be carried out by human 'interrogators', each sitting at a computer with a split screen: one half will be operated by an unseen human, the other by a program. The interrogators will then begin separate, simultaneous text-based conversations with both of them on any subjects they choose. After five minutes they will be asked to judge which is which. If they get it wrong, or are not sure, the program will have fooled them.
I'm not ready to bet on any software passing the Turing test just yet. Programs like Eliza have shown that a program can perform well for a while but eventually run out of steam.
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