SHRDLU,
Toy of Man's Designing
lOne day, Eta Oin wanders into the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory,
where she runs into the brilliant young computer program, SHRDLU. It
happens that SHRDLU is just dying for someone to try out the newly
developed human being "Dr. Tony Earrwig". SHRDLU explains that this
Earrwig is fairly intelligent in the limited domain of analyzing a conversa-
tion about a "toy world" containing blocks if various shapes, sizes, and
colors~locks which sit on a table, and which can be picked up and moved
around. Eta Oin,Jascinated, begins enthusiastically typing to SHRDLU.
Earrwig dangles over her shoulder and provides a sort of running
commentary, as promised.- Eta Oin: pick up a big red block. [Refer to Fig. 110.]
SHRDLU: OK.
Dr. Tony Earrwig: SHRDLU answers "OK" when it carries out a command.
In order to pick up the red block, it had to clear it off by finding a space for
the green one and moving the green one away. - Eta Oin: grasp the pyramid.
SHRDLU: I DON'T UNDERSTAf'D WHICH PYRAMID YOU MEAN.
Dr. Tony Earrwig: There are thr'ee pyramids in the scene, and SHRDLU
knows that phrases beginning with "the" are intended to refer to a specific
object the speaker has in mind.
FIGURE 11 O. "Pick up a big red block." [From Terry Winograd. Understanding Natural
Language, (New York: Academic Press, 1972), p. 8.]
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redgreen(^586) SHRDLU, Toy of Man's Designing