HodgePodge Data

An Intelligent Conversation

The general reader is unlikely to have any deep introspection as to how language actually works, so that even though we are all experts at using language, there is little awareness as to the underlying theoretical structures.

Nevertheless it is possible to compare a human quality conversation, as given below, with the current performance of existing systems.

I have chosen this particular conversation as an example, because it contains many of the key issues.

Although much of human perception involves what is often called ‘the primacy of the first impression’, there is also the truth from signal processing that, as a general principle, delayed decision-making is the best approach. Let us consider a simple example:

I climbed Ben Nevis yesterday

It ……………………………..

What does ‘it” stand for?
We don’t know until ‘it’ no longer exists alone.

It is over 4000 feet high.
Then it refers to Ben Nevis

It took 6 hours.
Then it refers to the climb

It was my birthday.
Then it refers to yesterday

This is a very simple example of the apparent complexity of language. However, as in all such areas, the appropriate mathematics allows one to collapse such problems to a simple state.

Your attention is also drawn to 3 other specific points of the conversation:

The input “the previous year”, is an excellent example of The Principal of Least Effort.

The inputs “who was the trainer” and “what was the time”, provide good examples of Focus.

The input “when was I born” provides an excellent example of Common Sense Reasoning.

Example spoken conversation (30 October 2019): Input in black, responses red.