Summary of An Essay Concerning Machine Understanding, by Herbert L. Roitblat
An Essay concerning machine understanding
by Herbert L. Roitblat
First submitted to arxiv on: 3 May 2024
Categories
- Main: Artificial Intelligence (cs.AI)
- Secondary: None
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| Summary difficulty | Written by | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| High | Paper authors | High Difficulty Summary Read the original abstract here |
| Medium | GrooveSquid.com (original content) | Medium Difficulty Summary A novel approach is proposed for constructing machines capable of understanding, departing from current models that rely on the listener to construct meaning. The abstract draws parallels with human understanding, where words are signs for ideas or concepts. Understanding between a speaker and listener occurs when the speaker’s concepts are translated into words and the listener recovers similar concepts. Experimental methods inspired by the decline of behaviorism and rise of cognitivism could be applied to determine whether machines can understand and suggest ways to instantiate this understanding. |
| Low | GrooveSquid.com (original content) | Low Difficulty Summary Machines that truly understand will revolutionize how we interact with technology. The current approach is limited, relying on humans to make sense of what’s being said. Instead, imagine a machine that can grasp concepts just like us. This paper explores the possibility of creating such machines by looking at how humans understand each other. It’s based on an old idea from philosopher John Locke, who said words are signs for ideas or thoughts. To truly understand something is to be able to work with those underlying concepts. The authors suggest using experimental methods that were once used to study human understanding to see if machines can do the same. |
