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Human vs Computer Intelligence

DrLudicrous writes "The NYTimes is running an article regarding tests devised to differentiate from human and computer intelligence. One example are captchas, which can consists of a picture of words, angled and superimposed. A human will be able to read past the superposition, while a computer will not, and thus fails the test. It also goes a bit into some of Turing's predictions of what computers would be like by the year 2000."

30 of 405 comments (clear)

  1. Non-issue. by grub · · Score: 3, Funny


    Anyone that has seen Star Trek:TNG knows that Data is a pretty smart fella.

    --
    Trolling is a art,
    1. Re:Non-issue. by Subcarrier · · Score: 5, Funny

      You have a point, though. Data can read, unlike 23% of the American population.

      --
      "I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them." -- George H. W. Bush
    2. Re:Non-issue. by stratjakt · · Score: 5, Funny

      >> You have a point, though. Data can read, unlike 23% of the American population

      He also got laid, unlike 97% of the slashdot population.

      --
      I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
    3. Re:Non-issue. by noshellswill · · Score: 1, Funny

      Sory, pad're -- smart's for humans only. Data is dumb as ... as any algorithm. See Godel or Penrose for details.

  2. Intelligence: A rock versus a slashbot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Rock wins two of three.

  3. Difference = Taunting by Fastball · · Score: 5, Funny

    The difference between computer and human intelligence is the human ability to revel in his. That is, taunt others. Until a computer can get in my grill and explain to me on a colorful fashion that I am nothing more than a grab-ass-tic piece of *human* sh!t, then I won't think much of computers.

    1. Re:Difference = Taunting by Nevermore-Spoon · · Score: 3, Funny

      for all you Red Dwarf Fans....two words...

      Smug Mode

      --
      I have great faith in fools; My friends call it self-confidence. Edgar Allan Poe 1809-1845
  4. Re:I failed! by Dachannien · · Score: 2, Funny

    Well, it looks like you got lucky - that server won't be switching images on *anyone* for some time now ;)

  5. In case its slashdotted: by stratjakt · · Score: 4, Funny

    Welcome to The New York Times on the Web!
    For full access to our site, please complete this simple registration form.
    As a member, you'll enjoy:

    In-depth coverage and analysis of news events from The New York Times FREE
    Up-to-the-minute breaking news and developing stories FREE
    Exclusive Web-only features, classifieds, tools, multimedia and much, much more FREE

    --
    I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
  6. I feel a disturbance in the force... by condour75 · · Score: 2, Funny

    I was looking through the times and saw this article, did a search through google on the term "captchas", and based on the speed of the page's return, i immediately knew that there was a slashdot article.

    I'd like to see AI figure THAT one out! I call it Automatic Slashdot Slowdown Effect Detection, or ASSED for short.

  7. The New Turing Test? by Flamesplash · · Score: 5, Funny

    A I mentioned at the bottom of this journal entry. I think a new version of the Turing test should be whether a computer can tell the difference between a Human and a Computer.

    --
    "Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door." - Emily Dickinson
  8. Here's a test by sielwolf · · Score: 4, Funny

    [Kicks first man in balls]
    First Man [falls over]: "AAAAAHH!"
    Me: "Human."
    [Kicks second man in balls]
    Second Man [falls over]: "Gffffff-!"
    Me: "Human."
    [Kicks third man in balls]
    Third Man [falls over]: "..."
    Me: "He's the robot! Get 'im!!!"

    --
    What is music when you despise all sound?
  9. It says I'm not human by Elladan · · Score: 4, Funny

    You entered: noses

    Possible responses: nose

    Result: FAIL.

    Wohoo! I'm a robot! This test proves it! Vegas here I come!

    Why does this test make me feel like I just had a run-in with John Ashcroft?

    1. Re:It says I'm not human by bytesmythe · · Score: 3, Funny

      I missed almost all of the picture ones...

      You entered: televisions
      Possible responses: television tv
      Result: FAIL.

      So next time...

      You entered: bike
      Possible responses: bicycle bicycles
      Result: FAIL.

      And again...

      You entered: toothbrushes
      Possible responses: toothbrush
      Result: FAIL.

      AAAAAAAAAARGH!!! I hate stupid word guessing programs that don't consistently account for common abbreviations and plurals!

      --
      bytesmythe
      Hypocrisy is the resin that holds the plywood of society together.
      -- Scott Meyer
  10. they found me out by AmishSlayer · · Score: 3, Funny

    no joke, I got this...

    acid/head
    acid/head
    acid/great
    acid/angry
    bo x/box ... my question is how'd they know?

  11. Re:much like with RadioShack by Rick+the+Red · · Score: 3, Funny

    Gee, I thought you were going to say something like, "Much like with RadioShack, where you have to perform a test to see if you're talking with an intelligent being."

    --
    If all this should have a reason, we would be the last to know.
  12. A much more accurate test... by craenor · · Score: 5, Funny

    Involves measuring pupil dilation when asked a series of personal questions...very good method.

  13. Re:weird.. by Rick+the+Red · · Score: 3, Funny

    You're looking for insight on Slashdot, that's where you're wrong.

    --
    If all this should have a reason, we would be the last to know.
  14. Re:Human intelligence by guidobot · · Score: 5, Funny
    hey, that's a truly well thought out and insightful post. EXCEPT for that the article is about how to prevent computers from automatically signing up for yahoo accounts (or pretending to be human online). frankly, i don't think yahoo is interested in the "lack of hormonal responses coming from every part of the body" -- unless they can find a hormone-testing software package they can use as part of the registration process.

    RTFA... that applies to moderators too.

  15. The /. AI test by binaryDigit · · Score: 3, Funny

    To be considered truely "intelligent" a computer must:

    1. Make a "first post" posting 15 minutes after the article goes up.

    2. Be the fourth person to enter a "In Soviet Russia ..." post.

    3. Be labeled a karma whore.

    4. Whine about the masiv tipe ohs in artaculs.

    5. Hate M$, Sony, MPAA because thats one of the three laws right?

  16. Taco Test by plip · · Score: 5, Funny

    I simply use my "Taco Test" (Inspired by the Invader Zim cartoon) to thwart chat bots and telemarketers. It's an amazing, powerful test that no computer or automated script can withstand.

    I ask the "suspected bot" if they like tacos. If they give me an intelligent answer, they are not a bot. If they give me an answer like "Wanna see my hot pics go to http://192.168.1.112/hotbabezzzz.pl?2345" Then they are a bot.

    This test also works on telemarketers in a slightly different fashion. I tell them to "STOP... I'll only buy your product if you send me a taco with it. If not, no deal." since there are big logistical problems with sending me a taco, they are thwarted every time. I'm sure this test would work equally well with any obscure food item.

  17. Re:Maybe.. by anthony_dipierro · · Score: 5, Funny

    What I mean is, I don't think an intelligent being would be capable of creating something that is more intelligent than himself.

    My dad was :).

  18. Re:African or European? by Zordak · · Score: 3, Funny
    I think the idea is that you are probably not going to be using your expensive, experimental neural network to create spam accounts and troll chat rooms for personal info.

    Which, by the way, gives me a great idea. I'm going to adapt that annoying psychoanalyst algorithm to create Slashdot accounts and randomly respond to posts in high volume. Not only will it be fun for all ages, but it will actually increase the infamous Signal to Noise ratio for Slashdot!

    --

    Today's Sesame Street was brought to you by the number e.
  19. Re:Windows, anyone? by buswolley · · Score: 4, Funny
    does a computer programs stupidity reflect anything other than the stupidity of the programmers, or the true difficulty of writing a program without such things. If the computer was taunting you it would say:

    Abort, Fail, Retry? I know how to fix it, but do you human?

    --

    A Good Troll is better than a Bad Human.

  20. Re:NYTimes by BabyDave · · Score: 3, Funny

    Thet's part of the test - the logical computer clicks on the link and gets nowhere, while the human uses their ingenuity and sticks "captcha" into Google instead.

  21. Re:One More Cool Item... by guidobot · · Score: 5, Funny
    I remember that -- i was a student at CMU at the time. Someone posted to a widely read messageboard (misc.market) about the poll, and it was off to the races after that. Pretty funny.

    A related story was the time I saw on Boston.com that one of their editors was getting a haircut and they had posted an online poll for users to choose a style. Remembering CMU's adventures in slashdot polling, I posted to that same messageboard a plea for students to help the poor guy out.

    4000 robo-votes later, he had a mohawk. Then they showed pictures of him going home for mother's day, and his dad's embarassed look. The best part was the quote from the editor at the end of the story -- "I had fun with this and I hope all those hackers out there did too."

    So, see, geeks? You too can make a difference.

  22. Re:I Found A Great Deal of Resources on AI by Dark+Lord+Seth · · Score: 4, Funny
    You really can't argue that this ISN'T informative, though.
    I would like a +5 Informative please.
  23. Re:And why bother by Steve+G+Swine · · Score: 3, Funny
    humans suck at repetative boring tasks beyond the limit of their attention spans
    And they give us mod points anyway. Weird.
    --
    "Consider yourself a member of a virtual corporation with Mr. Torvalds as your Chief Executive Officer." - Linux Advocac
  24. Re:It won't work... by zCyl · · Score: 4, Funny

    Both neural networks and genetic algorithms (also genetic programming) can adapt to new situations and new problems. Humans are neural networks, and both neural networks and genetic algorithms can be programmed on a computer. The problem is simply that neural networks take a lot of processing power when using a single central processor (the way computers are typically designed), and work much more rapidly when done by a slower distributed neural network which does massive parallel processing (the human brain).

    The computer is not at all limited. Any physical process can be computed by a Turing machine, which means by extension that any modern PC can compute anything. It is simply a question of time required to compute it. The brain is a physical system, and is thus Turing computable.

    If there exists more to humanity than the physical, then computational theory does not claim that Turing machines can compute it. But the brain at least, and all of its adaptability to new situations and new problems, are computable.

    For more information search for information on programming "neural networks" and "genetic algorithms".

  25. Re:Windows, anyone? by shrikel · · Score: 3, Funny
    Funny you should mention that. All my programs refer to me as "Sir" and lick my proverbial boots.

    Back during high school, I wrote dozens of .bat files called "what" or "how" or "go" and so forth, and I basically had them parse themselves so they could keep up a semi-decent conversation. Kind-of like a shell-based Alice. (Well, if you knew what to say, since if you didn't put a recongized word first on the line, it would just say "Bad command or file name.")

    My favorite was when I came back from a two-year stay in Brazil, and my friend and I were at the computer. We had both totally forgotten about those little batch files, and his playing with the computer went something like this:

    C:\>dri
    Bad command or file name

    C:\>Huh?
    Bad command or file name

    C:\>What was that?
    Bad command or file name

    C:\>Could you repeat that please?
    Bad command or file name

    C:\>Thank you.
    You're mighty welcome, sir!!

    --
    Any sufficiently simple magic can be passed off as mere advanced technology.