FIFTH GENERATION COMPUTERS 

MANY WHO HEAR THE TERM "ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE" ARE UNAWARE OF THE DRAMA OCCURING IN THIS RAPIDLY ADVANCING FIELD -- AND HOW IT WILL AFFECT YOUR LIFE IN THE RELATIVELY NEAR FUTURE.

THE TERM "ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE" WAS BROUGHT TO THE PUBLIC'S ATTENTION ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO WHEN THE JAPANESE ANNOUNCED PLANS TO CREATE A FIFTH GENERATION ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE COMPUTER TO SURPASS ANYTHING KNOWN AT THAT TIME. THE PROJECT HAS SINCE CREATED NEW CONCEPTS, NEW HARDWARE AND CERTAINLY CONSTERNATION, COMPETITION AND CONCERN. POLITICIANS, COMPUTER SCIENTISTS AND INDUSTRY LEADERS IN NORTH AMERICA AND EUROPE FEAR THAT THE JAPANESE ARE NOW WELL ON THE WAY TO CAPTURING BOTH AN INTELLECTUAL AND INDUSTRIAL LEAD THAT WILL, FOR THE NEXT CENTURY, PUT THEM AHEAD OF WESTERN COUNTRIES IN MANY FIELDS.

BASICALLY, WHAT THE JAPANESE ARE UTILIZING "EXPERT SYSTEMS". THEY ARE CREATING "KNOWLEDGE ENGINEERS" TO GATHER INFORMATION FOR THESE 'EXPERT SYSTEMS'. REPORTS SAY THEY NOW HAVE 200 KNOWLEDGE ENGINEERS: THEY WANT 20,000. STARTING SALARY IS ABOUT $70,000 PER YEAR, REPORTEDLY THE HIGHEST STARTING SALARY FOR ANY KNOWN PROFESSION.

A KNOWLEDGE ENGINEER PRACTICALLY LIVES WITH AN "EXPERT" FOR SIX MONTHS OR SO. HE FEEDS INTO THE FIFTH GENERATION COMPUTER ALL BOOKS, TESTS, EXAMINATIONS, ETC. THAT THE EXPERT HAS READ OR COMPILED IN HIS LIFETIME. IF THE PARTICULAR EXPERT WAS A MEDICAL DOCTOR, ALL THE MEDICAL TRAINING IS FED IN. THIS WOULD INCLUDE DIAGNOSES, PATIENT HISTORIES, PROGNOSES, ETC. PATIENT HISTORIES ARE ALSO FED IN, LESS THE NAMES BUT INCLUDING AGE, GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATIONS AND OTHER PERTINENT DATA. THIS INCLUDES DATA THAT WE IN THE WEST MIGHT NOT CONSIDER, BUT WHICH SOME JAPANESE CONSIDER VERY IMPORTANT, SUCH AS THE INCREASE IN CHILDREN'S GROWTH BASED ON THE COLOR AND CEILING HEIGHT OF THE ROOMS IN WHICH THEY LIVE.

BY THE END OF THE SIX-MONTH PERIOD A GREAT DEAL OF INFORMATION IS IN THE COMPUTER. DISCUSSIONS AND DIAGNOSES (WITH FOLLOW-UPS) OF ALL PATIENTS THE PHYSICIAN INTERVIEWS DURING THAT PERIOD ARE ALSO FED IN. THE COMPUTER IN EFFECT KNOWS WHAT THE DOCTOR KNOWS -- HIS INTUITION, OBSERVATIONS AND MEDICAL FACTS. THEY DO NOT STOP THERE. THEY ARE WORKING ON DOING THE SAME WITH 1,OOO DOCTORS, SO THE COMPUTER WILL EVENTUALLY HAVE ALL THE KNOWN INTELLIGENCE OF 1,000 PHYSICIANS, THEIR DIAGNOSES, PROGNOSES AND RESULTS IN ITS DATA BANK. THEN THIS WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE TO ALL THEIR HOSPITALS.

WHEN A DIFFICULT CASE OCCURS, THEY CAN TAP THIS FIFTH GENERATION COMPUTER AND USE ITS KNOWLEDGE INTERPRET SYMPTOMS UNDER STUDY AT SOME DISTANT HOSPITAL.

IT IS NOT ONLY IN MEDICINE THAT THE INTELLIGENCE OF THESE EXPERTS IS BEING "MINED". THEY ARE PUTTING IN SIMILAR INFORMATION FROM ENGINEERS, PHYSICISTS, CHEMISTS, ANTHROPOLOGISTS, BOTANISTS, ETC. WHEN THE PROJECT IS COMPLETED, "THE WISDOM MACHINE" THEORETICALLY WILL BE ABLE TO GIVE AN ADVANCED AND KNOWLEDGEABLE RESPONSE TO ANY QUESTION ASKED. PROBLEMS THAT TODAY SEEM IMPOSSIBLE WILL BE TACKLED IN NEW AND INNOVATIVE WAYS BY THE FIFTH GENERATION INTELLIGENCE MACHINE.

ITS ANSWERS, OF COURSE, WILL BE AVAILABLE IN ANY LANGUAGE. THAT PART IS ALREADY WORKING. IT CAN TRANSLATE JAPANESE INTO ENGLISH AND VICE VERSA AT THE RATE OF 1,000 WORDS A MINUTE IN VOICE OR PRINT.

IF YOU DON'T SEE NOW HOW THIS WILL AFFECT YOUR LIFE, IT MIGHT PAY TO LOOK INTO THIS FURTHER, BECAUSE IT WILL EVENTUALLY AFFECT EVERY LIVING THING ON OUR PLANET.

* * *

< previous | chapter index | next >
back to Main Chapter Listing
back to Home Page