Chapter 7: Talking Heads Summary and Analysis

Chapter 7: Talking Heads

"For centuries people have been terrified that their programmed creations might outsmart them, overpower them, or put them out of work." Chap. 7, p. 192

Many fears of automation are misplaced. The automated forms of artificial intelligence are extremely limited in what they can do. These machines do not have the same mental capacity of a four year old child who can recognize a person's face or pick up a pencil. When it comes to artificial intelligence, complex problems are easy; easy problems are complex. For example, AI cannot understand language in the same way as a person so it cannot answer questions like "Do zebras wear underwear?"

Programs have been created and many tests run on creating understand in AI systems. However, these systems operate on probabilities and substitutions. If a person does not speak...