The Limits of AI - Hubert Dreyfus (1985)

Hubert Dreyfus discusses artificial intelligence and its limits in a lecture given at DePauw University in 1985.

00:00 Talk
51:36 Q&A

#philosophy #artificialintelligence

[paulaa]

I believe he's still right today in 2024. Unless, of course, we define downwards the definition of 'intelligence' such that restricted-world problem solving is also 'intelligent' - similar to the internet scraping according to algorithms that passes today as AI. Internet AI is still rules and heuristic devices, except gathered very extensively. We still don't get 1) transcendent self-reflexive perspectives; 2) we don't get judgement - synthesis according to justified (normative) criteria.

[bpatrickhoburg]

Thank you, I was searching for this lecture for years. Used to have it and knew it existed somewhere.

[GugiMandini]

The I from A.I. needs some definition. If Intelligence is considered the ability to perceive reality, to witness existence, consciousness etc; rather than an imitating mechanical function i.e. input output, then it does not matter how sophisticated the arrangement of functions, that does not indicate intelligence, true cognition. So what are we talking about? My friend had an answer phone that just said 'hiya how you doing?' I thought it was intelligent because for the input (calling him) I got an output 'hiya' that perfectly fooled me, this does not make his phone intelligent. Setting standards or tests to pass for an AI seems arbitrary, and perhaps more a test for our lack of intelligence rather than an airtight test of mechanical intelligence. What are we really talking about?

[kasralotfi]

There is a more recent video of him talking to an AI audience and repeating the same claims. The audience responded that AI actually does what he claimed it would never do. He seemed very surprised and asked to see it. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any follow-up videos (if there were any).

Interestingly enough, Terry Winograd (who mentored Google founders) was taking Deryfus' course while at MIT. Who knows, maybe he started it all by pointing out that what Marvin Minsky was doing would be a dead end and new approach is needed.

[mojdemarvast]

Thank you…

Can we say that A.I has problems
understanding
the way of thinking of
those who are not grown up yet (kids) and
Those who are well grown up (philosophical thinking)

[suzettedarrow]

I believe Dr. Dreyfus contradicts himself @ ~30:00 & @ ~43:00. At 30, I believe he rejects the idea that knowledge is 10, 000 special cases. At 43, I believe he accepts the idea that knowledge is only so-many special cases.

[yoavco]

it's so interesting, amusing and quite funny how wrong he seems to be considering where AI went.