STEM-Talk

Episode 181: Ken Forbus talks about AI and his development of the Structure Mapping Engine

May 13, 2025
Ken Forbus, a distinguished professor at Northwestern University and a pioneer in AI, discusses his journey from a nerdy kid to a leader in cognitive science. He shares anecdotes about his childhood and how family relocations influenced his passion for AI. The conversation highlights the Structure Mapping Engine's role in teaching computers to reason like humans. Forbus also explores advancements in analogical reasoning, the challenges of knowledge capture in education, and the future of AI in the workforce, advocating for balanced methodologies in tech development.
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ANECDOTE

Raising Horses as a Kid

  • Ken Forbus grew up with an unusual hobby of raising and saddle-breaking horses.
  • He compares a horse's natural safety instincts to the ideal qualities of self-driving cars.
ANECDOTE

First Steps in AI as Teen

  • At age 15, Ken started building AI-related projects using university computers.
  • He coded a checker-playing program on an IBM 1130 using punch cards in 1972.
INSIGHT

Limitations of Turing Test

  • The Turing test is a flawed measure of machine intelligence because humans want to believe.
  • Simple chatbots have fooled people since the 1960s due to the ELIZA effect and social biases.
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