"Rascals" AI could pass Turing test, with a little help from Blue Gene

Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute believe they've built an AI smart enough to pass an avatar version of the Turing test -- convince a human that it is human while conversing in a virtual environment like Second Life. The bot is named "Rascals," which stands for Rensselaer Advanced Synthetic Architecture for Living Systems. Naturally, this first-ever achievement requires some world-class juice, and the team will using IBM's Blue Gene, the world's fastest supercomputer, to run the AI in real time. The AI's thoughts about itself and others is based on a grad student guinea pig, and it can even formulate thoughts about the beliefs of others and their beliefs about the beliefs of others. Trippy, no? Rascals will be put to the test in October 2008.

[Via Slashdot]

[dsstrainer Posted Mar 14th 2008 9:37AM]

Ah.. i was lookin at the C in ArChitecture trying to figure why it was before the A.. didn't even see the C in synthetiC :O

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 14th 2008 9:25AM]

Waitasecond - this was tested by these uber-geeks who do not know how to interact with real people? I think my kid's Pleo could fool them.

[y3knik Posted Mar 14th 2008 9:26AM]

it sounds so much like I Robot to me..

I hope will smith and his unbreakable arm are ready for this!

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 14th 2008 9:41AM]

Johnny Five... IS ALIVE!

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 14th 2008 9:37AM]

McKinstry lives!

[tranzparentl Posted Mar 14th 2008 9:46AM]

I live about 5 minutes from RPI. Any other resistance fighters out there that want to help take down skynet let me know.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 14th 2008 9:59AM]

People...

They based it on a grad student. It's not going to want to kill anyone, just scrounge around looking for quarters to try and buy Ramen noodles. Oh and angst, lot's of grad student angst.

Just remember, for robots, it's better to go across the wires and not down the cable tray.

[Tensor Posted Mar 14th 2008 10:48AM]

this new turing test doesn't sound so difficult, has anyone seen the conversation levels in most online games ... in Counter Strike i probably could pass by with an AI that just says "Y0u Sux0r5", "h34d50t" & "I rulz" ... never actually played Second Life (got enough problems with First) but cant really imagine it is a highly evolved medium of communication, at least it wasn't when i tired the beta for it (it was called something silly, like This or That... cant really recall, i do remember it was something stupid you couldn't google for easily)

[OneLove Posted Mar 14th 2008 11:00AM]

you connected it to the internets!!!

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 14th 2008 11:24AM]

Well it is right on schedule Judgment Day is in 2011 none of you have been watching The Sara Conner Chronicles. Instead of The Turk and playing Chess it is The Rascals playing Second Life. Does Art imitate Life or does Life imitate Art. :)

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 14th 2008 7:36PM]

i can tell you it doesnt plays ballet!...but who knows...

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 14th 2008 12:03PM]

Ask it this:

"The french for one is oui.
What would you smell like if I one'd all over you?"

Or maybe this.

"What question should I ask in a Turing test where the answer would prove I was talking to a human not a robot?"

I bet it wouldn't understand.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 14th 2008 12:06PM]

I mean the french for yes is oui. So what would you smell like if I yes'd all over you?

Wooops... Still probably a good double bluff question.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 14th 2008 1:45PM]

if i was the person communicating with the computer i would totally flirt with it. even if it didn't fool the AI, maybe it would let me slide when it kills everybody.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 14th 2008 2:50PM]

how long do you think before they turn this AI into 1,000 prostitute Bots in WoW charging real money for some cyber-sex? Instant retirement, here I come.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 15th 2008 5:02AM]

Turing Test? I'm sorry, Dave... I can't do that.

Daisy, Daisy, give me your a-n-s-w-e-r d-o...

[Wwhat Posted Mar 15th 2008 8:31AM]

I've talked to bots that I thought were human, of course I thought they were really idiotic and confused and dumb malaysian humans that don't grasp english, but those are still human so perhaps it counts.

[Ownaginatious Posted Mar 15th 2008 5:17PM]

Typically we use commas to separate a sentence denoting a list rather than a lot of repeated ands. Thank you.

[Wwhat Posted Mar 15th 2008 6:38PM]

The and denotes on-the-run additions rather than a prepared list, sometimes you can use non-standard constructs for effect you know.