Can Machines Think?

The Test

The test began. John sat silently, while the questions flew in.

Q: Do you like Shakespeare?
A: I think I do, but sometimes I don't get a word of what he is trying to convey.
B: Not all of his, only 'Hamlet' and 'Julius Caesar'.

Q: Which is better – enemy of an enemy, or a friend of a friend?
A: Both have equal importance, I think.
B: Friends are always better.

Q: What do you think of a Christmas without Santa?
A: Well, that would be a Christmas without gifts from him. I wouldn't want that.
B: That means no cookies, no gifts, and no joy. That's boring.

Q: If I offer you tea and coffee, what would you take?
A: Coffee, because it's refreshing.
B: Coffee, because it keeps me awake.

The test continued for about another fifteen minutes. Among the jury, it was clear that most of them were still trying to make out who is the machine. Only one person seemed to be relaxed. John had a faint smile on his face. It showed he knew who PRIME was. He kept smiling at the screen, reading the conversation.

After the test was over, Mr. Norman again came over and greeted the group.

"Thank you, gentlemen, for your time. I hope you have enjoyed the test. Now, come to this side so that I may guide you ahead."

The jury were then taken to another room, a waiting room where they were asked to sit in a row, and were called in one by one, to give their answers and feedback.

John was sitting at the last. He was still smiling. He was thinking how clever the machine was. It was, he thought. But not as clever as himself. He had caught the mistake it committed in each and every answer. He was sure who it was. He thought that he was still right about machines. However hard one tries to program them, they still leave a spill or two of their programming in their conversation.

At last, his turn came. He went in the room, and sat on the chair. He saw that on the side of the table opposite to him, Mr. Norman himself, along with two other persons, programmers apparently, was sitting.

"So, Mr. John, I was waiting for you all this time. How did the test go? What do you think of PRIME?"

"Very good, Mr. Norman, very good. I really would like to appreciate your effort into the making of this masterpiece. But it's still a machine. It's not at all a human."

A chuckle was evident.

"So then, who do you think was the human, and who, the machine?"

"Well, at first, it was not obvious. But as the test continued, their identities started taking shape. I can surely say that A was the machine!"

"Well, well, could you tell us how you came over to this conclusion?"

"As if I would have not if you hadn't asked. Sir, I do appreciate your work, but there are more than one ways in which one could arrive at that.

"Starting from the first question, the Shakespeare one, that was actually a great answer. 'A' used nice language, saying 'I think' and not using an affirmative remark. That really set me off track. But it was the answer of 'B' which gave me a ray of hope. You see, I am also a neurologist, and I know that a human wants to tell more about what is asked. 'A' wrote only one remark, mentioning nothing about Shakespeare. Whereas 'B' tried to give a full description of what he likes in as short as possible, implying that he might be a human. So I set off on this detail, taking a faint assumption that 'B' is human and thus crosschecking him in every question.

"The second question was again affirmative for me. 'A' gave probably a logical answer based on the ambiguity of the question. But B returned a positive aspect of the answer only, that is, only friends.

"The third question, as you see, is a different type of question. It cannot have a logical answer at all. 'A' speaks in somewhat restricted tone. But B opens up on this issue, showing his emotional attachment.

"Coming to the fourth one, of which most will think both gave the same answer, has actually a minute difference. 'A' thinks coffee is refreshing, but B thinks it keeps him awake. Now if you think about B as a person, a coffee would really make sense, if he wants to be awake.

"As you can see, just like the above examples, each question can be broken down into small explanations, each showing that A must be the machine. Using this trail of thinking had I arrived at my result. It's not as if 'A' did not give human-like answers. It's just that upon a logical analysis and comparison, it turns out to be less human-like."

This reasoning had almost left Mr. Norman stunned. But he still smiled at him and politely asked him to wait outside.

"I will just come out with the results. Until then you can wait outside with the others."

After some time, Mr. Norman came out with the results.

"Hello, my friends. Can I call you that? Yes, I believe. I have come here to reveal the results of today's Turing Test. One of the most important things about this result is also the most interesting. Well, it is that three of you, Mr. George, Mr. Hansen, and Mr. Percy, could not tell the difference between them, and have described in their answer, an 'utter confusion and an unending trail of misleading clues', is it not? I think this itself might be an indication of the success of P.R.I.M.E.

"But a more surprising point is that all the others, that is, the remaining five, Mr. Kledder, Mr. McAdams, Mr. Gregory, Mr. Lawrence, as well as Mr. Clay here, have said that A is the machine. But the astonishing fact is not that they all are right, instead, it is that ALL OF THEM ARE WRONG!"

A sudden stun fell over the group. No one could speak a thing. John, especially, couldn't believe it. Mr. Bishop continued.

"I am happy but more amazed to say that at last, our program has passed the Turing test. Yes, my friends, B is the machine. B was PRIME. 'A' was the man, our volunteer, Bobby. Ah! Here he is. Bobby is this sixty-three-year-old man with which you were talking to.

"Now, my friends, it really has been a great event for me as well as you all. This Turing test has come to an end. I would like to extend my gratitude to each of you for coming here and helping me make this day a successful one. I have already taken a lot of time of yours. So, I wouldn't waste anymore yet. I would be releasing the report to the public and media tomorrow, and so I would like it if you all are present at the press conference tomorrow. Thank you for coming here, gentlemen."

With this, the experts started leaving, except Mr. Clay. He still was thinking where he was mistaken in his conclusions. At last, he went to Mr. Norman and congratulated him.

"Mr. Norman, you have really hit it. Your program has really surpassed my own experience. This is the first time any machine could deceive me."

"Well, the success belongs to my team as well. But you, Mr. Clay, are the only one who could exactly explain his observations. You were totally right, I believe, except that you left the fact that the human could also be a sixty-three-year-old one."

"Yes, I know I made that small mistake. Now that I see, everything falls right in its place. I thank you for calling me down here. It was really a great experience for me. Well, can I have a few moments with your excellent PRIME? I have never seen any better artificial intelligence program!"

"Why not, it would be my pleasure."