Is the Computer Really Smarter?

Watson may have triumphed at Jeopardy!, but Brian Christian examines computer intelligence more closely in the Atlantic. Christian recently participated in the Turing Test: “I will sit down at a computer and have a series of five-minute instant-message chats with several strangers. At the other end of these chats will be a psychologist, a linguist, a computer scientist, and the host of a popular British technology show. Together they form a judging panel, evaluating my ability to do one of the strangest things I’ve ever been asked to do. I must convince them that I’m human. Fortunately, I?am human; unfortunately, it’s not clear how much that will help.” Every year, the artificial-intelligence community gathers for a Turing Test — the winning (i.e. “Most Human Computer”) computer is awarded the Loebner Prize. The winning human, on the other hand, receives another prize: “Most Human Human award.” [%comments]