Artificial Stupidity
By Jim Allen
Artificial intelligence has for decades been the Holy Grail of the computing research community and the AI dream recently took a huge leap forward with the announcement that its sister research arm, Artificial Stupidity, is now a genuine reality.Researchers at the annual Artificial Studipity Symposium (ASS) in Madrid today unveiled a host of stupid computers that were able to demonstrate behaviours such as ignorance, bigotry and even a penchant for golf fashion. “This has to be the most stupid conference we've ever had”, beamed ASS organiser Dr. Consuela Diaz. “We have the whole spectrum of human stupidity represented here from simple clumsiness to complex stupidities like Scientology and George W. Bush.”
Despite the ostensible friendliness of the delegates, competition is rife this year between research projects battling it out for the Symposium's top prize, put up jointly by the Journal of Artifical Computing and the symposium organisers - the coveted JAC-ASS award. Frontrunners are a program that can 'prove' 2+2=5, an online Encylopaedia that responds 'Dunno' to every information search and the bookies’ favourite, a robot which literally can't tell its arse from its elbow.
Cutting edge stuff, but what do these advances mean for AI research?Dr. Wes Hoover-Dyson of MIT is optimistic about what AS advances mean for the future of intelligent computing. "Now we've got stupidity nailed down, synthesizing intelligent behaviour is right within our grasp," he said. "Intelligence is the opposite of stupidity, right? So all we need to do is run our stupid software backwards and hey presto - AI!"
We left Dr. Hoover-Dyson trying to locate the reverse gear on his Apple Mac.
Something kinda stupid:
- Dumbass - The Null podcast
- Shortass - Short people suffer height trauma
- Lameass - Top ten funny acronyms
- Nice ass - Why Barbie is beautiful
Image: Artoo Potatoo available from the Null Gadget Shop.
Share this
