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From: buzzard@world.std.com (Sean T Barrett)
Subject: Re: Re; AI in IF
Message-ID: <GJstL7.ALx@world.std.com>
Date: Mon, 17 Sep 2001 08:43:55 GMT
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Jon Ingold <ji207@cam.ac.uk> wrote:
>The thing that most AI gets hung up on is the idea of learning

The belief that AIs should work by learning is not a universal
AI belief; it is a premise that locks you into certain models
of AI from the moment you make that assumption.

>But then the question of the original thread was really "Is IF a good
>medium in which to explore AI technology"? In which case, we're not
>really talking about making good games at all. However, again, I'd still
>be forced to argue that no, AI is not well-served by the IF medium and
>the reason is this - paucity of data.

Actually, there are some who might argue with you. Douglas Hofstadter's
AI book "Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies" (or something like that)
is about an approach to AI that exhibits emergent behavior (you can't
predict what it will come up with) and works best with limited
"micro-worlds"--in fact his whole premise is that things like Cyc
and the widespread bias against microworlds in the AI community
is exactly what's preventing us from getting anywhere with AI, since
it's forcing us to solve a much harder problem than we need to solve.

Games offer a built-in microworld with simple discrete rules, no
worries about people using "Big Mac" as a metaphor so the knowledge
base needs to have 200 facts about McDonalds, and no worry about
sense data processing.  (However, I don't see any obvious IF use
for the analogy-making DH's programs do, except possibly in the
area of storytelling.)

SeanB
