5GLs & AI

une balle d'argent

Punch Cards

Doesn't it seem quaint that people used to have to punch holes in a piece of paper to program a computer?

Machine Code

Doesn't it seem quaint that people used to have to write machine instructions to program a computer?

Memory Allocation

Doesn't it seem quant...

Oh you get the idea!

Type Checking...

Complex Data Structures...

Progress Creates Abstractions

  • Think: “Necessary at the time, but thank goodness I don’t have to do it now”
  • We write words into a text file...think about how silly that will seem someday.

Does George type words into a text file? 

George Jetson

  • Talks to the machine
  • Explains his problem in English
  • Gets a solution

5GLs and AI

  • Programming Language Generations
  • Fifth Generation Languages (specifically Prolog) and AI
  • The Fifth Generation Computer from Japan
  • Why 5GLs & AI were not silver bullets
  • Why they might be now
  • What next

Programming Language Generations

An incredibly brief history

First Generation

  • Machine Code: absolutely nothing is abstracted
  • The machine matters 
  • More than the programmer

Second Generation

  • Assembly
  • Useful Constructs: (MOV, XCHG, etc.)
  • Essentially reusable blocks of Machine Code
  • Machine still matters
  • A nod to the programmer, albeit a minor one

3rd Generation

  • Big Leap

  • COBOL and Fortran

  • Statements abstract concepts from computer instructions to “IF” and “DO” 

  • Compiles onto multiple machines!

  • Programming is not a specific set of an instructions for a single machine

  • Programmer-centric 

4th Generation

  • DSLs and Object Oriented live here
  • Programmer is the absolute center
  • Machine Agnostic
  • Performance takes a hit
  • Borders on natural language
    • "for thing in things:"

Trend

  • Machine matters less
  • Programmer matters more

Fifth Generation

(A prologue on Prolog)

5GLs 

  • How the kids say:
    "Fifth Generation programming Languages"
  • Prolog isn't the only one...
  • But it's the only one I learned much about

Prolog

  • 5GL
  • Built on Lisp
  • Basic units: Facts and Rules
  • Treats source code and data the same
  • Queries discover relationships/truths

Knowledge Bases

happy(yolanda). 
listens2Music(mia). 
listens2Music(yolanda):-  happy(yolanda). 
playsAirGuitar(mia):-  listens2Music(mia). 
playsAirGuitar(yolanda):-  listens2Music(yolanda).

Rules and Facts in Prolog:

http://www.learnprolognow.org/lpnpage.php?pagetype=html&pageid=lpn-htmlse1​
  • Yolanda is happy
  • Mia listens to music
  • When Yolanda listens to music, she is happy
  • Mia plays air guitar when she listens to music
  • Yolanda plays air guitar when she listens to music

 

Queries

happy(yolanda). 
listens2Music(mia). 
listens2Music(yolanda):-  happy(yolanda). 
playsAirGuitar(mia):-  listens2Music(mia). 
playsAirGuitar(yolanda):-  listens2Music(yolanda).


?-  playsAirGuitar(mia).

yes

Does Mia play air guitar? Yes.

Queries (cont'd)

loves(vincent,mia). 
loves(marsellus,mia). 
loves(pumpkin,honey_bunny). 
loves(honey_bunny,pumpkin). 
    
jealous(X,Y):-  loves(X,Z),  loves(Y,Z).


?-  jealous(marsellus,W).

W  =  vincent
  • Vincent and Mia love each other
  • Marsellus and Mia love each other
  • Jealousy happens between X and Y when they both love Z
  • Who is Marsellus jealous of? Vincent

Declarative

  • Give facts
  • Ask a question
  • No algorithm provided by a human
  • 5GLs 

Imperative

  • Give step by step instructions
  • Have the computer execute them exactly
  • >5GLs (mostly)

Seems great!...BUT

  • Creating Facts and Rules is hard (essential)
  • Creating Facts and Rules is boring (accidental)
  • Even figuring out the problem is hard!
  • Make a computer do it!

AI driven 5GL

  • AI makes the rules and facts
  • AI tries various models
  • AI runs the queries to see if it solves my problem
  • AI gives me the solution

Japan's Fifth Generation Computer

“The objective was a machine with three major components: a problem solving and inference processing unit; a knowledge base management system; and an intelligent interface,” (1982)

TL;DR

  • A Brain
  • A memory
  • A Voice and Senses

Lofty Goals

  • Using Natural Language Processing and massive databases
  • Understand human problems
  • Make models
  • Test models
  • Relate answer

Hardware

  • Parallelization not optimized yet
  • Space is expensive (size and money)
  • Single-core getting faster
  • Slow, large, expensive

 

None of it up to the job

Software

  • Natural Language Processing immature
  • Modeled after human relational thought
  • Large enough stored information

 

None of them up to the job

Failure kills motivation

Accidental

  • Writing Code
  • Running the code
  • Having enough time or money
  • Modeled after humans

Essential

  • Requirement Solicitation
  • Problem solving

Contemporary

5GLs & AI 

Ein Wunderwaffe

Software

  • Narrow AI is omnipresent
    • Google Results
    • Navigation rerouting
    • Natural Language Processing
    • Targeted Ads
  • IBMs Watson (General AI)
    • Uses Prolog!!!

Hardware

  • Distributed Systems
    • Bigger Brain
  • The Internet
    • More Memories
  • Human-Interface-Devices
    • Better than ever

Some thoughts on modern AI

  • BG: "I don’t understand why some people are not concerned"
  • SH: "The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race."
  • EM: "AI is much more advanced than people realize. It would be fairly obvious if you saw a robot walking around talking and behaving like a person... What's not obvious is a huge server bank in a vault somewhere with an intelligence that's potentially vastly greatly than what a human mind can do. "

An AI that writes software?

http://www.primaryobjects.com/2013/01/27/using-artificial-intelligence-to-write-self-modifying-improving-programs/

What next?

  • Temper Expectations
  • AI beyond humans is coming
  • There is no reason to think writing software can only be done by humans
  • Keep writing software until such a time!

Before

  • Hardware lacking
  • Software lacking

 

Now

  • Hardware better
  • AI genepool bigger
  • Hobbyists make software that writes software
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