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AI Taught How To Play Ms. Pac-Man

Posted by Zonk on from the way-better-than-i-can dept.

trogador writes with the news that researchers are working to teach AIs how to play games as an exercise in reinforced learning. Software constructs have been taught to play games like chess and checkers since the 50s, but the Department of Information Systems at Eotvos University in Hungary is working to adapt that thinking to more modern titles. Besides Ms. Pac-Man, game like Tetris and Baldur's Gate assist these programs in mapping different behaviors onto their artificial test subjects. "Szita and Lorincz chose Ms. Pac-Man for their study because the game enabled them to test a variety of teaching methods. In the original Pac-Man, released in 1979, players must eat dots, avoid being eaten by four ghosts, and score big points by eating flashing ghosts. Therefore, a player's movements depend heavily on the movements of ghosts. However, the ghosts' routes are deterministic, enabling players to find patterns and predict future movements. In Ms. Pac-Man, on the other hand, the ghosts' routes are randomized, so that players can't figure out an optimal action sequence in advance."

20 of 167 comments (clear)

  1. Not Really by ilikepi314 · · Score: 5, Funny

    It just lied that it could play Ms. Pac-Man so it could get more reward food.

    1. Re:Not Really by BinarySkies · · Score: 5, Funny

      The joke is on it, the cake is a lie.

  2. What I have learn from PacMan is by mastermemorex · · Score: 3, Funny

    live fast, eat chips, big ones are the best and avoid the gosh with ugly faces

  3. re Now we KNOW! by jelizondo · · Score: 5, Funny

    In Ms. Pac-Man, on the other hand, the ghosts' routes are randomized, so that players can't figure out an optimal action sequence in advance.

    I feel I'm beginning to understand ...

    Perhaps the greatest achievement of AI would be to understand female behavior

    --
    Be very, very careful what you put into that head, because you will never, ever get it out. - Cardinal Wolsey
    1. Re:re Now we KNOW! by AndGodSed · · Score: 5, Funny

      That my friend, is a statistical; scientific and verrily a religious impossibility.

      --

      Seven Days with Ubuntu Unity

    2. Re:re Now we KNOW! by the_banjomatic · · Score: 2, Funny

      Perhaps the greatest achievement of AI would be to understand female behavior Obligatory, but true none the less: "The only way to win is not to play"
    3. Re:re Now we KNOW! by hairyfeet · · Score: 2, Funny

      Not to mention very cruel. You'd have the poor little A.I.'s brain snapping like a twig trying to figure out things like "If you don't know why I'm mad then I'm not going to tell you". It would be the A.I. equivalent to torture!

      --
      ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
    4. Re:re Now we KNOW! by stonedcat · · Score: 1, Funny

      This should not be difficult for most slashdot readers.

      --
      You can't take the sky from me.
  4. Bad idea by QuickFox · · Score: 4, Funny

    As if everybody didn't already waste too much time on games, do we have to teach programs to waste time too?

    --
    Terrorists can't threaten a country's freedom and democracy. Only lawmakers and voters can do that.
    1. Re:Bad idea by exp(pi*sqrt(163)) · · Score: 2, Funny

      What are you talking about? By having machines play our games for us, humans can finally move on and become truly free.

      --
      Doesn't it make you feel good to know that our freedoms are protected by politicans, lawyers and journalists.
  5. so... by dashslotter · · Score: 5, Funny

    Who's Al?

    --
    I was flipping bits on an abacus, newb.
    1. Re:so... by Adambomb · · Score: 3, Funny

      Well, he could be Betty's long lost pal.

      --
      Ice Cream has no bones.
  6. Re:Bad idea - NOT by jelizondo · · Score: 5, Funny

    Only by teaching them to waste time AI will be become truly human...

    --
    Be very, very careful what you put into that head, because you will never, ever get it out. - Cardinal Wolsey
  7. Re:And here I thought by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    did you read the article summary or did you just glance at it while freebasing

  8. Re:Humans in no danger yet by eyenot · · Score: 2, Funny

    Ah, but the scripts also managed to reach human-level average scores while discovering two things:

    1. you don't necessarily gain anything luring ghosts...
    2. or necessarily gain anything timing power pill consumption

    --
    "Stratigraphically the origin of agriculture and thermonuclear destruction will appear essentially simultaneous" -- Lee
  9. Re:Not gonna happen by Conspiracy_Of_Doves · · Score: 5, Funny

    The simple fact is that when the female suspects that the male is beginning to understand her behavior, she changes the rules.

    --

    Technoli
  10. gender-neutral pac-person by waveformwafflehouse · · Score: 3, Funny

    So now we're teaching our AI that it's a round, dot hungry trans-gender Miss-Man being chased by ghosts?

  11. Oblig by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 4, Funny

    The most interesting development came when the machine suddenly stopped killing ghosts and simply displayed the message: "The only way to win is not to play!"

    --

    "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

  12. Re:Can the AI play Tic Tac Toe? by mad_minstrel · · Score: 2, Funny

    But can it play Twister?

    --
    May the source be with you.
  13. Re:One of these things is not like the other... by kongit · · Score: 1, Funny

    a whole number between 0-65535