Report on the 2nd International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence
ITNOW · 1971
Abstract ‘Oscar Wilde once described fox-hunting as “the pursuit of the inedible by the unspeakable”. There have been times when I have been tempted to describe the work on artificial intelligence as “the pursuit of the unattainable by the incomprehensible”. Incomprehensibility has not been improved by the use of jargon—it took me some time to realise that “heuristics” referred mainly to “trial and error”! Unattainable the construction of an artificial intelligence may well be, for it is an open question how far the mind can go in describing its own functions. Metaphysics is a challenging subject, of course. Perhaps I may quote from T. S. Eliot’s poem “The Dry Salvages”: “Men’s curiosity searches past and future And clings to that dimension. But to apprehend The points of intersection of the timeless With time, is an occupation for the Saint—” ‘Your Chairman assures me that, despite his somewhat evangelical appearance, he does not yet consider himself qualified for canonisation ! Nevertheless, I share Eliot’s vision of the high endeavour and dedication that research into the metaphysical aspects of the subject requires and wish you well in your search for what constitutes intelligence and hence how to simulate it.’ (Extract from Professor Douglas’s opening speech.)