1. Machines Who Think By: Pamela McCorduck Presentation By: Chantal Ivenso University of Cincinnati

2. 5 Main Points “Beginnings” “The Turning Point” “Resistance” “Realizations” “The Tensions of Choice”

3. “Beginnings” In this novel McCorduck enter into the history of artificial intelligence. The beginning of AI started with mathematicians and physicians- turning the process of human thought into mathematics. The first computer by Alan Turing is mentioned to show the start of attempts to make AI. Early scientist and mathematicians try to link the brain to a machine (how neurons might act the same way as electric on-off currents in a machine).

4. “The Turning Point” Things start to get serious, and people are more into AI studies. A conference is held in 1956 at Dartmouth College to go over research. Herbert Simon, Allen Newell, and John Shaw created a information- processing model called the Logic Theorist. Also, Games! Chess and checkers machines are being made (Starting with a former Bell telephone employee, Arthur Samuel).

5. “Resistance” This section of the novel discusses the amount of criticism and fear that AI brought out in some people. And mentions some extremists against the study and evolution of Ai, such as Mortimer Taube and Hubert Dreyfus.

6. “Realizations” Discusses robots and explore its uses, AI abilities, and reasons to build them at all. And types of robots: The Advice Taker and General Problem Solver. Focuses also on the understanding and creating language, scenes, and symbols. Introduces ELIZA. We also see AI used to help organic chemist, i.e.: DENDRAL- used to ‘extract the regularities from nature and pit them into programs by computer program, rather than by handcrafting the knowledge from the head of an expert’.

7. “The Tensions of Choice” The last section of the novel deals with the ethic and moral issues that continue to surround the idea of AI. Discusses the use of AI to try and explain evolution in biology; some say it like trying to be a god. Later on McCorduck touches on recent AI history, such as, robots in the medical field and Y2K

8. Conclusion Pamela McCorduck went through the history of artificial intelligence from beginning to present with a fine tooth comb. She did a wonderful job interviewing those who kept the field going and shared their stories well. You get an understanding that much was done to get to where we are today, however, a lot more is needed to reach our idea of artificial intelligence. McCorduck, Pamela. Machines Who Think. A K Peters, Ltd, Natick, MA: 2004.