Artificial Intelligence Systems That Understand

Abstract

From its beginnings, artificial intelligence has borrowed freely from the vocabulary of psychology. The use of the word "intelligence " to label our area of research is a case in point. Other terms referring originally to human mental processes that have considerable currency in Al are "thinking, " "comprehending, " and, with increasing frequency in the past five years, "understanding." In fact, these terms are probably used more freely in Al than in experimental psychology, where a deep suspicion of "mentalistic " terminology still lingers as a heritage of behaviorism. It is not my intent to engage in a barren lexicographic exercise, nor to bait those among us who are aroused to indignant emotion whenever terms