Questions 6-10 In
the 1950s, the pioneers of artificial intelligence (AI) predicted that, by the
end of this century, computers would be conversing with us at work and robots
would be performing our housework. But as useful as computers are, they’re
nowhere close to achieving anything remotely resembling these early aspirations
for humanlike behavior. Never mind something as complex as conversation: the
most powerful computers struggle to reliably recognize the shape of an object,
the most elementary of tasks for a ten-month-old kid. A growing
group of AI researchers think they know where the field went wrong. The problem,
the scientists say, is that AI has been trying to separate the highest, most
abstract levels of thought, like language and mathematics, and to duplicate them
with logical, step-by-step programs. A new movement in AI, on the other hand,
takes a closer look at the more roundabout way in which nature came up with
intelligence. Many of these researchers study evolution and natural adaptation
instead of formal logic and conventional computer programs. Rather than digital
computers and transistors, some want to work with brain cells and proteins. The
results of these early efforts are as promising as they are peculiar, and the
new nature-based AI movement is slowly but surely moving to the forefront of the
field. Imitating the brain’s neural network is a huge step in
the right direction, says computer scientist and biophysicist Michael Conrad,
but it still misses an important aspect of natural intelligence. "People tend to
treat the brain as if it were made up of color-coded transistors", he explains,
"but it’s not simply a clever network of switches. There are lots of important
things going on inside the brain cells themselves. " Specifically, Conrad
believes that many of the brain’s capabilities stem from the pattern recognition
proficiency of the individual molecules that make up each brain cell. The best
way to build an artificially intelligent device, he claims, would be to build it
around the same sort of molecular skills. Right now, the option
that conventional computers and software are fundamentally incapable of matching
the processes that take place in the brain remains controversial. But if it
proves true, then the efforts of Conrad and his fellow AI rebels could turn out
to be the only game in town. What’s the author’s opinion about the new AI movement ______
A. It has created a sensation among artificial intelligence researchers but
will soon die out.
B. It’s a breakthrough in duplicating human thought processes.
C. It’s more like a peculiar game rather than a real scientific
effort.
D. It may prove to be in the right direction though nobody is sure of its
future prospects.