Joseph Weizenbaum

[Jeff Schwab]

Aahz wrote:
> In article <qlomt350kg9f9k7bab7gt84gdlp8tko3vh at 4ax.com>,
> Tim Roberts  <timr at probo.com> wrote:
>> Jeff Schwab <jeff at schwabcenter.com> wrote:
>>> Roel Schroeven wrote:
>>>> castironpi at gmail.com schreef:
>>>>> On Mar 14, 1:47 pm, "Reedick, Andrew" <jr9... at ATT.COM> wrote:
>>>>>> How do you feel about creator of Eliza?
>>>>> What is Eliza?
>>>> Does that question interest you?
>>> Well played, sir.
>>>
>>> Earlier you said what is Eliza.  Do you still feel that way?
>> I am embarrassed to say that this vaguely disrespectful exchange made me
>> laugh out loud.
> 
> Serious: why do you think this is disrespectful?

Not to speak for Tim, but I imagine it could be perceived as 
disrespectful because Prof. Weizenbaum has only recently passed away. 
In fact, I think the Prof would be very happy to see people having some 
fun at the expense of AI, which he saw as a real threat to human freedom.

http://www-tech.mit.edu/V128/N12/weizenbaum.html

"Named for the heroine of My Fair Lady, ELIZA was perhaps the first 
instance of what today is known as a chatterbot program. Specifically, 
the ELIZA program simulated a conversation between a patient and a 
psychotherapist by using a person’s responses to shape the computer’s 
replies. Weizenbaum was shocked to discover that many users were taking 
his program seriously and were opening their hearts to it. The 
experience prompted him to think philosophically about the implications 
of artificial intelligence, and, later, to become a critic of it.

"In 1976, he authored Computer Power and Human Reason: From Judgment to 
Calculation, in which he displayed ambivalence toward computer 
technology and warned against giving machines the responsibility for 
making genuinely human choices. Specifically, Weizenbaum argued that it 
was not just wrong but dangerous and, in some cases, immoral to assume 
that computers would be able to do anything given enough processing 
power and clever programming."

See also: http://www-ai.ijs.si/eliza-cgi-bin/eliza_script

You: What is Eliza?

Eliza: Does that question interest you?