ABSTRACT

The life and work of the computer scientist Joseph Weizenbaum is a testament to the ways in which the field of artificial intelligence has engendered discontent. In his articles, public talks, and most notably in his 1976 book, Computer Power and Human Reason, Weizenbaum challenged the faith in computerized solutions and argued that the proper question was not whether computers could do certain things, but if they should. As a computer scientist speaking out against computers, Weizenbaum has often been treated as something of a lone Jeremiah howling in the wilderness. However, as this article demonstrates, such a characterization fails to properly contextualize Weizenbaum. Drawing upon his correspondence with Lewis Mumford, this article argues that Weizenbaum needs to be understood as part of a community of criticism, while also exploring how he found the role of discontented critic to be a lonely and challenging one.

摘要

计算机科学家约瑟夫·魏岑鲍姆（Joseph Weizenbaum）的生活和工作证明了人工智能领域引起不满的方式。在他的文章，公开演讲中，尤其是在他的1976年出版的《计算机力量与人类理性》一书中，维岑鲍姆挑战了人们对计算机解决方案的信念，并指出恰当的问题不是计算机是否可以做某些事情，而是他们是否应该做。作为计算机科学家反对计算机大声疾呼，Weizenbaum通常被视为在旷野how叫的孤独的耶利米。但是，如本文所示，这种表征无法正确地将Weizenbaum上下文化。利用他与刘易斯·芒福德的往来书信，他认为维岑鲍姆需要被理解为批评社区的一部分，同时还要探索他如何发现不满批评家的角色是一个孤独且具有挑战性的角色。