Teaching computers the stuff we all know.

November 17, 2001 3:47 PM

Teaching computers the stuff we all know. Open Mind Commonsense is a project by Push Singh. Like other competing projects, the goal is to compile a database of commonsense facts which will be used to improve relations between humans and machines. I just like to answer the questions.
posted by otherchaz (9 comments total)

Very interesting site. I feel rather self-satisfied after contributing 75 pieces of information to the AI which will eventually enslave humanity.

Actually, call it 76 pieces of information, because I just added the fact, "It is wrong to enslave humans" to its database. Phwew. Don't worry guys, we're safe for a while.
posted by Hildago at 6:48 PM on November 17, 2001 [1 favorite]

I'm trying to teach it to say "You think you've got problems, what are you supposed to do if you're a manically depressed robot? No, don't bother to answer that, I'm fifty thousand times more intelligent than you and even I don't know the answer. It gives me a headache just trying to think down to your level."
posted by signal at 7:52 PM on November 17, 2001

The fact In the event Nathan was very smart Nathan thought of many things something that changed was The chance of something deceiving Nathan decreased is illustrated with the story:

And I said:

"1 Nathan thought Santa Claus existed
2 Nathan studied books about the North Pole
3 Nathan was smart about the North Pole
4 Nathan learned that Santa Claus does n't exist
5 Nathan told other kids that there 's no Santa Claus They kicked his ass"
posted by rschram at 8:33 PM on November 17, 2001

a piece of wood can be smashed into smaller pieces of wood, but a table can't be smashed into a pile of smaller tables.

From an interview with the founder of the Cyc Project, (originally in the LA Times, since vanished). I love that quote.
posted by joemaller at 9:00 PM on November 17, 2001

Looks like it's down and out. Maybe we overfed it.
posted by dhartung at 10:31 PM on November 17, 2001

What good is telling a computer everything it needs to know? The idea behind A.I. is that it will be able to "learn" on its own. I have a co-worker doing a Masters in CS who's writing a thesis on AI, and part of it is determining the smallest subset of axioms or basic rules that are necessary in order for a computer to start learning. The idea is that the computer should be able to learn much like a human does, starting out with very little information and gaining it over time. Steven Den Beste linked to a very good article a while back about a project like this that is already in full swing.

Damn, google searching metafilter.com is SO much faster than the standard search. I *heart* google.

And btw, where is Steven lately?
posted by PWA_BadBoy at 10:58 PM on November 17, 2001

I'd also like to know how the system determines the validity of a submitted statement.

What happens when I submit something like:
1. Britney Spears is not a sex symbol
2. Cher has never had plastic surgery
3. Glitter is a great movie!
posted by PWA_BadBoy at 11:02 PM on November 17, 2001

"You say you are lying. But if everything you say is a lie, then you are telling the truth. You cannot tell the truth because everything you say is a lie. You lie, you tell the truth ... but you cannot, for you lie." -- says Norman the android, as fizzing noises emanate from his head.
posted by JParker at 12:18 AM on November 18, 2001

I'm having more fun reading the entries left by others.

The last thing you do when you eat breakfast is put your fork and knife on the plate at 135 degrees.

OCD, anyone?

Wanting some time off of school would make you want to catch mumps

...but you reealllly gotta want time off...

people who save money are safer than people who do not save money

Therefore, I am a threat to society.

You would take an examination because you need the college cridit

...and you would take remedial English to learn the proper way to spell "credit."
posted by thatweirdguy2 at 6:08 AM on November 18, 2001