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␈↓␈↓↓␈↓α␈↓␈↓ β2ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE LABORATORY
␈↓ βsCOMPUTER SCIENCE DEPARTMENT
␈↓ ∧bSTANFORD UNIVERSITY
␈↓ ∧+STANFORD, CALIFORNIA 94305
␈↓↓
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ α_␈↓ αh␈↓ β8␈↓ ∧λ␈↓ ∧X␈↓ ¬(January 3, 1973
␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H
Mr. Dominic Flessati
␈↓ ↓H
British Broadcasting Corporation
␈↓ ↓H
Room 4075
␈↓ ↓H
Kensington House
␈↓ ↓H
Richmond Way
␈↓ ↓H
London W14 OAX
␈↓ ↓H
England
␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H
Dear Dominic:
␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ α_Thank-you␈α
for␈α
your␈α
letter␈αof␈α7␈αDecember.␈αLet␈αme␈αexplain␈αwhat␈αI␈αhad␈αin␈αmind␈αregarding␈αthe
␈↓ ↓Htapes.␈αMy␈αoriginal␈αidea␈α
was␈α
simply␈α
to␈α
go␈α
over␈α
my␈α
own␈α
performance␈α
so␈α
that␈α
I␈α
could␈α
do␈α
a␈α
better␈α
job␈α
in
␈↓ ↓Hthe␈α
future.␈α
After␈α
a␈α
while,␈αI␈αalso␈αbecame␈αinterested␈αin␈αthe␈αeffects␈αof␈αediting␈αon␈αwhat␈αI␈αhad␈αto␈αsay.␈αIt
␈↓ ↓Hnow␈α∞turns␈α∞out␈α∞that␈α∞my␈α∞interest␈α∞in␈α∞both␈α∞of␈α∞these␈α∞matters␈α∞was␈α∞pretty␈α∞well␈α∞satisfied␈α∞by␈α∞watching␈α
the
␈↓ ↓Hvideo␈α
tapes␈α
combined␈α
with␈α
my␈α
memory␈α
of␈α
the␈α
performance.

␈↓ α_When␈α⊂I␈α⊂first␈α⊂met␈α⊂you,␈α⊂I␈α⊂became␈α⊂convinced␈α⊂that␈α⊂you␈α⊂were␈α⊂not␈α∂prejudiced␈α∂against␈α∂artificial
␈↓ ↓Hintelligence,␈αand␈αI␈αhave␈αretained␈αthat␈αconviction.␈αNevertheless,␈αit␈αseems␈αto␈αme␈αthat␈αthere␈αis␈αalways␈αa
␈↓ ↓Hdifference␈α⊂in␈α⊂interest␈α⊂between␈α⊂a␈α⊂proponent␈α⊂of␈α⊂a␈α⊂point␈α⊂of␈α⊂view,␈α⊂especially␈α∂a␈α∂scientific␈α∂one,␈α∂and␈α∂a
␈↓ ↓Hproducer␈α∞who␈α∞is␈α∞interested␈α∞in␈α∞creating␈α∞a␈α∞good␈α∞show.␈α∞However,␈α∞the␈α∞editing␈α∞of␈α
the␈α
Lighthill␈α
debate
␈↓ ↓Hdoes␈α
not␈α
give␈α
me␈α
any␈α
illustrations␈α
of␈α
this␈α
theoretical␈α
belief.␈α
I␈α
believe␈α
the␈α
editing␈α
was␈α
fair␈αand␈αthat
␈↓ ↓Hthe␈αresulting␈αtape␈αis␈αrepresentative␈αof␈αwhat␈αwas␈αsaid␈αat␈αthe␈αRoyal␈αInstitution.␈αThe␈αcondensation␈αwas
␈↓ ↓Hon␈α
the␈α
whole␈α
an␈α
improvement␈α
even␈α
for␈α
a␈α
scientific␈α
audience␈α
which␈α
also␈α
has␈α
a␈α
limit␈α
on␈α
its␈α
patience.

␈↓ α_One␈α∞minor␈α∞grumble--you␈α∞included␈α∞a␈α
sentence␈α
of␈α
mine␈α
to␈α
the␈α
effect␈α
that␈α
I␈α
didn't␈α
identify␈α
the
␈↓ ↓Hfield␈α
of␈α
artificial␈αintelligence␈αwith␈αmy␈αown␈αcareer.␈αThis␈αremark␈αwas␈αintended␈αas␈αa␈α␈↓αdig␈↓↓␈αat␈αLighthill's
␈↓ ↓Hstatement␈α⊂that␈α⊂hydrodynamics␈α⊂was␈α⊂also␈α⊂to␈α⊂some␈α∂extent␈α∂played␈α∂out,␈α∂and␈α∂this␈α∂remark␈α∂you␈α∂omitted.
␈↓ ↓HFrom␈α⊂my␈α⊂own␈α⊂polemical␈α⊂point␈α⊂of␈α⊂view␈α⊂this␈α⊂was␈α⊂too␈α⊂bad,␈α⊂because␈α∂a␈α∂scientist␈α∂more␈α∂familiar␈α∂with
␈↓ ↓Hmathematics␈α∪and␈α∪physics␈α∪than␈α∩with␈α∩artificial␈α∩intelligence␈α∩might␈α∩be␈α∩able␈α∩to␈α∩calibrate␈α∩Lighthill's
␈↓ ↓Hpessimism␈α
by␈α
comparing␈α
it␈α
with␈α
his␈α
similar␈α
pessimism␈α
about␈α
his␈α
own␈α
field.

␈↓ α_Also,␈α⊂I␈α∂thought␈α∂the␈α∂scene␈α∂with␈α∂the␈α∂glasses␈α∂of␈α∂water␈α∂was␈α∂funny,␈α∂but␈α∂I␈α∂suppose:␈α∂the␈α∂cameras
␈↓ ↓Hdidn't␈α
get␈α
both␈α
sides␈α
of␈α
it.␈α
Was␈α
that␈α
why␈α
you␈α
omitted␈α
the␈α
whole␈α
thing?

␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ α_␈↓ αh␈↓ β8␈↓ ∧λ␈↓ ∧X␈↓ ¬(With best wishes for a happy new year,
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ α_␈↓ αh␈↓ β8
␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ α_␈↓ αh␈↓ β8␈↓ ∧λ␈↓ ∧X␈↓ ¬(John McCarthy
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ α_␈↓ αh␈↓ β8␈↓ ∧λ␈↓ ∧X␈↓ ¬(Professor of Computer Science
␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ α_␈↓ αh␈↓ β8␈↓ ∧λ␈↓ ∧X␈↓ ¬(Director, Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H

␈↓ ↓H
␈↓ ↓HP.S.␈α
Please␈α
don't␈α
fell␈α
obligated␈α
to␈α
answer.␈α
We␈α
have␈α
made␈α
you␈α
write␈α
enough␈α
letters␈α
already.