Reading Assignment #2

1. Less is More: Digital Butlers
2. Interface Agents as Digital Butlers
3. 000 000 111 - Double Agents

Consider for discussion the following questions, plus any others that occur to you.

• What is he talking about when he uses the term intelligent agent? What do you think of the idea of having an interface which will actually know you and your environment? Thumbs up or thumbs down? Why?
  
• What are some specific ways in which an intelligent agent such as that described by Negroponte might assist you in your daily life? Be creative!
• What are some specific ways in which more limited forms of intelligent agent are assisting you in your daily life now?
  
• Since no such agent could possibly be programmed to know all about you and your habits and preferences, it will have to learn them. How do you suppose this might be accomplished? What other things can a computer learn? Is this possible at all, as you define the term? What are the dangers of this idea? (You might be interested to know that Deep Blue, the computer which recently defeated international chess champion Garry Kasparov, learned much of its chess skill.)
  
• Negroponte asserts that intelligence rather than "look and feel" is the key to a successful interface. Do you agree? Does this represent any change in your thinking?
  
• How do you suppose we are likely to communicate with comprehensive intelligent agents when they become a reality?
  
• How would you feel about having a computer that could "recognize" you when you sit down to work at it? Or pay attention to what you're doing? How could this be accomplished? Would this be a good or bad thing? What are the pros and cons?
  
• How do you feel about the prospect of communicating with a machine verbally -- talking to it and having it talk back to you, perhaps even making small talk at times? Do the benefits outweigh the negatives, the sense of unease? What do you think is the opinion of society in general?
  
• The last essay raises a fairly significant concern about widespread use of intelligent agents. Did you think at all about security issues when you read the first two essays? In what ways could an intelligent agent become a "double agent"?
  

Briefly answer the questions in a word document and be prepared to discuss the reading material in class