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Mind Matters Reporting on Natural and Artificial Intelligence

CategoryArtificial Intelligence

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Artificial robot hand touch human hand
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post
Author
News
Date
July 19, 2020
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Artificial Intelligence, Religion, Science
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Can AI Replace the Need for Belief in God?

Oxford mathematician contends that science should increase our respect for what God has created and allowed us to do
News
July 19, 2020
Artificial Intelligence, Religion, Science

John Lennox. author of 2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity (2020), is not only an Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University but also pastoral advisor to Green Templeton College at Oxford. In a podcast, “Does Revelation Talk About Artificial Intelligence?”, he discusses with Robert J. Marks, director of the Walter Bradley Institute, the title question: “Can AI replace the need for belief in God?” https://episodes.castos.com/mindmatters/Mind-Matters-091-John-Lennox.mp3 Selections from the transcript are provided below: (The complete downloadable transcript may be found following the Show Notes and Resources) Robert J. Marks (right): Let’s talk about the theological implications of AI. You have a reputation, not only as a mathematician, but a Christian apologist. And I wanted to go into some…

robot-with-artificial-intelligence-observing-human-skull-in-evolved-cybernetic-organism-world-3d-rendered-image-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
Robot with Artificial Intelligence observing human skull in Evolved Cybernetic organism world. 3d rendered image
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post
Author
News
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July 18, 2020
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Artificial Intelligence, Science
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Could Super Artificial Intelligence Be, in Some Sense, Alive?

An AI theorist makes the case to a technical writer…
News
July 18, 2020
Artificial Intelligence, Science

Tech writer Ben Dickson poses the question: Should you feel bad about pulling the plug on a robot or switch off an artificial intelligence algorithm? Not for the moment. But how about when our computers become as smart—or smarter—than us? Ben Dickson, “What will happen when we reach the AI singularity?” at TheNextWeb, July 7, 2020 Philosopher Borna Jalšenjak (above right) of the Luxembourg School of Business has been thinking about that. He has a chapter, “The Artificial Intelligence Singularity: What It Is and What It Is Not,” in Guide to Deep Learning Basics: Logical, Historical and Philosophical Perspectives, in which he explores the case for “thinking machines” being alive, even if they are machines. The book as a whole…

digital-illustration-painting-design-style-a-dragon-slayer-fighting-with-boss-of-dragon-in-video-game-against-ruins-city-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
Digital illustration painting design style a dragon slayer fighting with boss of dragon in video game, against ruins city.
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post
Author
Adam Nieri
Date
July 18, 2020
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture
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AI-written Scenario for Dungeons & Dragons Is Actually Quite Good

It is a computer revolution, not in type, but in scale
Adam Nieri
July 18, 2020
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture

I still remember walking past the tabletop game store in the mall when I was a kid. I used to think, “that looks really interesting, but everyone would think I’m a nerd if I started playing it.” Admittedly, I am most definitely a nerd, and proud of it. But only recently have I begun diving into the world of tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons (otherwise known as D&D). The poster (left), from one of the many Dungeons & Dragons-themed films of recent decades, gives some sense of the genre. My first experience pillaging through a cave as I smashed anything and everything with my mighty hammer was way more enjoyable than I imagined. The experience was most definitely helped…

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3D rendering abstract round light background
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post
Author
News
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July 17, 2020
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Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind, Religion
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Oxford Mathematician: Atheism Detracts from Science

The problem, as John Lennox sees it, is that atheism does not provide grounds for believing in rationality
News
July 17, 2020
Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind, Religion

Today, Evolution News and Science Today published an excerpt from Oxford mathematician John Lennox’s 2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity (Zondervan 2020): in which Lennox discusses some of the ways in which atheism detracts from science: Science proceeds on the basis of the assumption that the universe is, at least to a certain extent, accessible to the human mind. No science can be done without the scientist believing this, so it is important to ask for grounds for this belief. Atheism gives us none, since it posits a mindless, unguided origin of the universe’s life and consciousness. John Lennox, “Why Science and Atheism Don’t Mix” at Evolution News and Science Today: He offers physicist John Polkinghorne’s explanation of…

woman-passenger-sitting-in-the-backseat-and-selects-a-route-when-her-self-driving-car-rides-on-the-highway-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
Woman passenger sitting in the backseat and selects a route when her self-driving car rides on the highway.
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post
Author
News
Date
July 17, 2020
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Artificial Intelligence, Business and Finance, Global Technology
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If Self-Driving Cars Become the Norm, What Will It Feel Like?

Already, Millennials are more likely than their parents to see transportation as simply a means to an end
News
July 17, 2020
Artificial Intelligence, Business and Finance, Global Technology

Recently, Jay Richards interviewed Bryan Mistele, founder and CEO of INRIX, on the non-fiction future of the self-driving car. INRIX provides data systems for analyzing traffic issues relevant to self-driving (autonomous) vehicles. He sees a bright future, amid many misconceptions: From the interview: Jay Richards: What do you think is the key misconception that people have about this technology? Bryan Mistele: I think the biggest misconception is that it’s just about autonomous vehicles. That you’ll go to a dealer, you’ll buy an autonomous vehicle. That’s not really the vision of what people in the industry are pursuing. It’s about what we call the ACES, Autonomous Connected, Electric, and Shared, all working together to deliver, basically, mobility as a service. Certainly…

Check mark on shield.jpg
Check mark on shield, Security, safe, privacy or other Security concept background, Data Protection Concept, Technology Background
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post
Author
Jonathan Bartlett
Date
July 15, 2020
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Business and Finance
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Hackers Seize Popular Twitter Accounts for Giant Bitcoin Scam

Scammers have gained access to a number of high-profile Twitter accounts, including those of Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Kanye West, and Elon Musk
Jonathan Bartlett
July 15, 2020
Artificial Intelligence, Business and Finance

Today, hackers gained control of a number of Twitter accounts, and used them to scam people out of their Bitcoin money. As we have reported before, the security within Bitcoin actually seems to facilitate scams. In the current ripoff, scammers have gained access to a number of high-profile Twitter accounts, including those of Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Kanye West, and Elon Musk. Their usual line is that they are seeking matching donations to a good cause. So if the user sends Bitcoin to a certain wallet address, the high-profile Twitter account will send a matching donation. However, the wallet address (and the promised match) are both frauds, and the money goes straight into the scammers’ pockets. It is unclear how…

man-in-a-tesla-car-behind-the-wheel-concept-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
Man In A Tesla Car. Behind The Wheel Concept.
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post
Author
Jonathan Bartlett
Date
July 15, 2020
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Business and Finance, Ethics
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German Court Rules: Tesla Autopilot Is False Advertising

In America, for reasons many people can’t quite comprehend, the regulatory agencies haven’t said much about the inflated claims
Jonathan Bartlett
July 15, 2020
Artificial Intelligence, Business and Finance, Ethics

Here at Mind Matters News, we have long been critics of Elon Musk’s claims about his “self-driving” Teslas. Autopilot is a cool feature but marketing it as “full self-driving” is simply a lie, and a dangerous one at that. Musk (right) has been making false claims about Autopilot for almost half a decade now. He claimed in 2016 that all Teslas that left the factory were equipped with the hardware for Level 5 full self-driving. If you’re not aware of the levels of self-driving defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), Level 5 means that the car will take you wherever you want to go and you can sleep in the back. Level 4 means that, in some situations…

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Shaved male nape and a lot of usb cables connected to it. Concept of dependence in thinking and information
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post
Author
News
Date
July 14, 2020
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Ethics, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind
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AI Expert: Artificial Intelligences Are NOT Electronic People

AI makes mistakes no human makes, so some experts are trying to adapt human cognitive psychology to machines
News
July 14, 2020
Artificial Intelligence, Ethics, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind

David Watson of the Oxford Internet Institute and the Alan Turing Institute has published an interesting and quite readable paper in Minds and Machines on the way in which artificial intelligence experts often endow their creations — mistakenly — with human characteristics. In his open access paper, “The Rhetoric and Reality of Anthropomorphism in Artificial Intelligence,” he fills us in on some of the limitations of AI and proposes fixes based on human thinking. First, thinking that AI is like a human or about to become like a human is not new: The biomimetic approach to AI has always inspired the popular imagination. Writing about Rosenblatt’s perceptron, the New York Times declared in 1958 that “The Navy has revealed the…

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Computer error.
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post
Author
Roman Yampolskiy
Date
July 14, 2020
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Technocracy
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AI Will Fail, Like Everything Else, Eventually

The more powerful the AI, the more serious the consequences of failure
Roman Yampolskiy
July 14, 2020
Artificial Intelligence, Technocracy

A day does not go by without a news article reporting some amazing breakthrough in artificial intelligence. In fact, progress in AI has been so steady that some futurists, such as Ray Kurzweil, project current trends into the future and anticipate the headlines of tomorrow. Consider some developments from the world of technology: 2004 DARPA sponsors a driverless car grand challenge. Technology developed by the participants eventually allows Google to develop a driverless automobile and modify existing transportation laws. 2005 Honda’s ASIMO humanoid robot is able to walk as fast as a human, delivering trays to customers in a restaurant setting. The same technology is now used in military robots. 2007 Computers learned to play a perfect game of checkers,…

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Warning Sign about Stumbling
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post
Author
News
Date
July 12, 2020
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Artificial Intelligence, Religion, Science
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In Dan Brown’s AI Hype Novel, the Hero Stumbles Onto God

Not clear that was supposed to happen but stories do get away on their authors at times…
News
July 12, 2020
Artificial Intelligence, Religion, Science

In a recent podcast, “John Lennox: False Assumptions in the hype over AI,” Oxford mathematician John Lennox, author of 2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity (2020) discussed common mistaken assumptions with Walter Bradley Center director Robert J. Marks. One of them seems to be that AI might prove there is no God, replace God, or become God. Things get interesting when these science fictions meet the world of fact. https://episodes.castos.com/mindmatters/Mind-Matters-090-John-Lennox.mp3 From the transcript: Robert J. Marks: In your book, you discussed Dan Brown’s novel entitled Origin. Now Dan Brown is famous for writing many, I don’t know, kind of strange books. One was the Da Vinci Code, but his recent one deals with artificial intelligence and you discuss…

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concept of future technology 5G network wireless systems and internet of things
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post
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News
Date
July 10, 2020
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Artificial Intelligence, Business and Finance, Global Technology
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Valley Insider Peter Thiel’s Comments Last Year Proved Prophetic

China’s recent takeover of Hong Kong and the campus Cancel Culture spotlight his warnings for our culture’s future in the age of 5G
News
July 10, 2020
Artificial Intelligence, Business and Finance, Global Technology

Peter Thiel, who spoke by interactive video to the COSM conference last October, is probably the most remarkable of the Silicon Valley insiders. A fuller version of his discussions with tech philosopher George Gilder has just been released. What makes Thiel (think PayPal, Facebook, Palantir, Airbnb, Lyft, and Elon Musk’s SpaceX) unique is that he so much contradicts the Valley stereotype and is certainly not afraid to tell the Valley its faults. In fact, he moved down to Los Angeles in 2018, fed up with the Valley as a one-party state. He suggested in 2019 that Google be investigated for treason for refusing to work with the Pentagon but helping the Chinese military. Most of the time, though, Thiel prefers…

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person sitting in front of boy
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post
Author
News
Date
July 8, 2020
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Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind
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Which Is Smarter? Babies or AI? Not a Trick Question

Not a Trick Question
News
July 8, 2020
Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind
Humans learn to generalize from the known to the unknown without prior programming and do not get stuck very often in endless feedback loops. Read More ›
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Artificial Intelligence and Transhumanism - illustration
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Author
News
Date
July 7, 2020
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Artificial Intelligence, Ethics, Technocracy
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John Lennox: Transhumanism Is Not a New Idea

News
July 7, 2020
Artificial Intelligence, Ethics, Technocracy

In his just-published book, 2084, Oxford mathematician John Lennox points out that, in the 20th century, both the Communists and the Nazis had attempted transhumanist projects. For example, In the former Soviet Union, attempts were made to use science to create a “New Man.” In 1924, Leon Trotsky wrote: “Man will make it his purpose to master his own feelings, to raise his instincts to the heights of consciousness, to make them transparent, to extend the wires of his will into hidden recesses, and thereby to raise himself to a new plane, to create a higher social biologic type, or, if you please, a superman.” What that program of eugenics involved is explained by historian Andrey Zubov as cited by…

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big brother watching you
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post
Author
News
Date
July 3, 2020
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Artificial Intelligence, Surveillance, Technocracy
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2084 vs 1984: The Difference AI Could Make to Big Brother

News
July 3, 2020
Artificial Intelligence, Surveillance, Technocracy

In a recent podcast, Oxford mathematician John Lennox answered some questions raised about his new book, 2084 by Walter Bradley Center director Robert J. Marks, including questions as to how the loss of privacy could wind up really harming us: https://episodes.castos.com/mindmatters/Mind-Matters-089-John-Lennox.mp3 From the transcript: Robert J. Marks: It’s been said that AI is the new electricity. It’s neither good nor bad. You have addressed some of the potential negative uses of artificial intelligence or the negative impacts of artificial intelligence, but expanding on that, what are some of the big threats that you see in the use of AI technology in the near future? John Lennox: Well, the threats are best explained by comparing them with the advantages. Let’s take…

richards-fuetsch-cosm-2019
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post
Author
News
Date
July 3, 2020
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Artificial Intelligence, Data Privacy, Surveillance
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AT&T CTO Says, Yes, You Can Live Without Your Smart Phone

News
July 3, 2020
Artificial Intelligence, Data Privacy, Surveillance

At COSM 2019, Jay Richards interviewed AT&T CTO Andre Fuetsch (the guy who says your smart phone will disappear). Is that true? And how will we live? From the interview: Andre Fuetsch: We are now on the brink of being able to connect many, many more things than we’ve ever seen before. And just by the fact of being able to connect more things … look at the more traditional wireless networks that we’ve had in the preceding generations. It frankly was just about connecting phones, right? “Some were sort of dumb phones, some were more feature phones. Some are now obviously more smartphones. And these were really more of kind of a one to one relationship with people. 5G,…

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3D rendering abstract round light background
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post
Author
News
Date
July 2, 2020
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Global Technology, Philosophy of Mind
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John Lennox: How AI Raises the Stakes for All of Us

News
July 2, 2020
Artificial Intelligence, Global Technology, Philosophy of Mind

This is an excerpt from John Lennox‘s 2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity (Zondervan 2020) published with permission: In April 2018 at the TED talks in Vancouver physicist and cosmologist MaxTegmark, president of the Future of Life Institute at MIT, made this rather grandiose statement: “In creating AI [artificial intelligence], we’re birthing a new form of life with unlimited potential for good or ill.” A study by Sir Nigel Shadbolt and Roger Hampson entitled The Digital Ape carries the subtitle How to Live (in Peace) with Smart Machines. They are optimistic that humans will still be in charge, provided we approach the process sensibly. But is this optimism justified? The director of Cambridge University’s Centre for the Study…

Phone-Screen-for-Hel-modified
Phone-Screen-for-Hel-modified
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post
Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
July 2, 2020
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Global Technology, Surveillance, Technocracy
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China’s Health Code App: One More Way to Track Citizens

Heather Zeiger
July 2, 2020
Artificial Intelligence, Global Technology, Surveillance, Technocracy

For the Chinese Communist Party, SARS-CoV-2 (the coronavirus) has provided an opportunity to expand its massive surveillance system. The current extensive network of facial recognition cameras has left some gaps. People could avoid recognition, for example, by wearing a face covering to curb the spread of a respiratory illness. Now, China is looking to fill those gaps by keeping the Alipay Health Code app, launched at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, as a mainstay for its citizens: Compared to omnipresent facial recognition software and other surveillance systems in China, the health code mechanism covers more people and collects a broader range of personal information. The state can also impose stricter control as people now have to use health codes…

round-robots-eye-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
Round robot's eye
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post
Author
News
Date
June 30, 2020
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture, Global Technology, Surveillance
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Exclusive!: John Lennox Answers Our Questions About AI in 2084

News
June 30, 2020
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture, Global Technology, Surveillance
In his new book, 2084, the Oxford mathematician doubts that AI, now or then, will out-think humans. Our real worry is how they will be used. Read More ›
robotic-arm-catch-for-electronic-assembly-line-the-robot-for-smart-technology-manufacturing-process-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
robotic arm catch for electronic assembly line. The robot for smart technology manufacturing process.
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post
Author
Adam Nieri
Date
June 27, 2020
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture
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What to make of Erica, the AI Superstar Robot?

I have a hard time conceiving of a way that this film could be successful without a little bit of cheating.
Adam Nieri
June 27, 2020
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture

An AI super star? In case sci-fi fans haven’t heard, there is a new actress on the block. Her name is Erica and she is a… robot. According to the Hollywood Reporter Erica will star in a sci-fi film called b, “b follows a scientist who discovers dangers associated with a program he created to perfect human DNA and helps the artificially intelligent woman he designed (Erica) escape.” A part of me chuckles, thinking of the creepy uncanny valley Youtube videos of failed attempts at human-like robotics. However, robotics doesn’t seem to be the center of attention here. As Hollywood Reporter also reports, b is, “a $70 million science fiction film which producers say will be the first to rely…

magpie-pica-pica-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
Magpie (Pica pica)
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post
Author
News
Date
June 26, 2020
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind
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Is the Turing Test Misguided? George Montañez comments

News
June 26, 2020
Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind

When you think about it, the Turing test is a bit of a scam. Human beings are supposed to guess whether we are talking to computers purely according to answers. But clever answers can be precoded by a clever person. We could be talking to a well-trained magpie. George Montañez of Harvey Mudd College argues that the question of whether machines can think, as posed in Alan Turing’s seminal paper in 1950 , “Computing machines and intelligence,” is too vague to admit of an exact answer. Besides which, it is kind of complicated. https://episodes.castos.com/mindmatters/Mind-Matters-088-George-Montanez.mp3 Transcript. As he told Walter Bradley Center director Robert J. Marks in a recent podcast: George Montañez Yeah. So, there was actually three versions of the…