What was ChatGPT like in the 12th century?

Alchemist materials. Medieval sages who practiced alchemy were said to have talking statue heads… images. stock struggle

Mr. Gray continues the AI ​​and ChatGPT debate (see today’s insert on pages 4-5) and reminds me that in 1495 Leonardo da Vinci designed a robotic horseman that could stand, move its arms, and move its head and jaw. The first primitive but functional robot was built in 1738 by Jean de Vaucanson, who created a robot that played the flute, as well as a mechanical duck.

The term “robot” itself was introduced in 1920 by a futurist play by the Czech Karel Capek. “Robot” means “chore” in Czech.

Gerber has built the head of a statue that will answer any question you ask of it.

Mr. Gray also tells me of a French monk, Gerber of Aurigac, who lived from 946 to 1003. Gerber is said to have been superior in astrology (by which he meant astronomy) to Ptolemy. He was also, according to William of Malmesbury, a twelfth-century English historian and monk, an avid necromancer. William mentions that Gerber set about building the head of a statue that was supposed to answer any question you asked (“just like we do today with ChatGPT”). The Englishman Robert Grosseteste (1175-1253), Bishop of Lincoln, Professor of Philosophy at Oxford and the foremost commentator on Aristotle in Latin, excelled in theology, astrology, music and alchemy. It is said that he once owned a statue that could move and say “Hail” (Ointment in Latin) but without answering any questions.

The English Franciscan Roger Bacon (1214-1292), probably a disciple of Robert, seems to have done better, having tried, before Leonardo, to build a flying machine, but above all, he was also supposed to have the head of a bronze statue that answered anyone . Ask him the question. The habit of asking questions on hardware (from a simple little computer we basically asked how much 1+1 does and it always gave us the correct answer on Google and now ChatGPT) is really old.

Some scientists suggest we follow in the footsteps of nature: let intelligence evolve, as it has with human intelligence. So the machines will teach themselves. Professor Larry Yeager, the consultant in the movie “Terminator 2”, years ago created the computer program called “Multiverse”, full of digital beings, that tries to see if their intelligence is evolving. I’m still waiting.