9 replies to this topic

[Still Waters]

Humans have a tendency to see faces where there are none. So do computers. Are they more like us in their flaws?

This rocky hill in Ebihens, France, is, well, just that -- a rocky hill in Ebihens, France. But to pretty much any human observer, the assemblage of meaningless angles takes on a familiar appearance, that of a human face in profile. It has a distinct nose, eyes, lips, and chin, capped off with some foliage as hair. From the perspective pictured above, it's impossible not to see a man in a mountain.

Humans are not alone in their quest to "see" human faces in the sea of visual cues that surrounds them. For decades, scientists have been training computers to do the same. And, like humans, computers display pareidolia.

http://www.theatlant...puters/260760/#

[questionmark]

Which, given that the algorithms were programmed by humans, is not surprising.

[Taun]

Computers will 'see' what they are programmed to 'see'...

[Mnemonix]

questionmark, on 09 August 2012 - 06:44 PM, said:

Which, given that the algorithms were programmed by humans, is not surprising.

Taun, on 09 August 2012 - 06:46 PM, said:

Computers will 'see' what they are programmed to 'see'...

Agreed.

[_Only]

Yeah, maybe when computers can start to think for themselves (assuming that ever happens) we'll find out how close to our psychological tendencies they come. Until then we can program them and smile at how much they act like us (go figure).

I just wanted to share this pic I took recently, though. I didn't notice the face at all when I took it.

[J. K.]

_Only, on 09 August 2012 - 06:57 PM, said:

Yeah, maybe when computers can start to think for themselves (assuming that ever happens) we'll find out how close to our psychological tendencies they come. Until then we can program them and smile at how much they act like us (go figure).

I just wanted to share this pic I took recently, though. I didn't notice the face at all when I took it.

"I am the eye in the sky
Looking at you
I can read your mind"

[Mantis914]

J. K., on 09 August 2012 - 07:05 PM, said:

"I am the eye in the sky
Looking at you
I can read your mind"

I was just listening to Alan Parsons Project this morning!  Love that song!

[Nathan DiYorio]

Well, the computer image recognition processes are going to be similar to a human's own brain. It looks for distinct and telling details, and if enough details match the given records and database, it'll flag it as a hit. Just like a brain.

[Taun]

Actually the frightening thing is that a lot of people really have absolutely no idea of how a computer works... A scary number of people actually believe that computers DO think...

Ones and zeros... "yes" and "no" that's it... Until some one gets that tri-valiant state processor thing going.. then it will be "yes", "no" and "maybe"

Edited by Taun, 09 August 2012 - 07:56 PM.

[Nathan DiYorio]

Computers do think in the sense that they are capable of processing and recognizing information and coming to (often) logical conclusions. But they aren't capable of active thought the way living beings are. They can't think of, say, the color "white" and then make the jump to "hot chocolate" (through marshmellows, you see). And they can't imagine or dream, which are thought processes as well. I suppose this really comes to a definition of what thought exactly is, and there isn't a perfect way to sum that up.

But either way, computers are far from sentient. Even if their processing abilities could be considered thought, it would be a primitive form of thought at best.

Edited by Xetan, 09 August 2012 - 08:27 PM.