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␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓βS␈↓∧ Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Stanford, California 94305

␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone 415 497-4430␈↓ 	ISeptember 18, 1980 




␈↓ ↓H␈↓Fr. Neil Hurley, S.J.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Department of Communications
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Fordham University
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Bronx, New York 10458

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dear Father Hurley:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Thanks␈αfor␈αyour␈αJuly␈α16␈αletter␈αand␈αthe␈αreprint␈αof␈αyour␈α1967␈αarticle.␈α Sorry␈αabout␈αthe␈αdelay
␈↓ ↓H␈↓in answering, but I just ≡shed your letter out of the bag of things I took to read at home.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Enclosed␈α∩are␈α∩three␈α⊃reprints,␈α∩one␈α∩dealing␈α⊃with␈α∩arti≡cial␈α∩intelligence␈α⊃and␈α∩one␈α∩with␈α⊃home
␈↓ ↓H␈↓computer␈α∞terminals.␈α∞ The␈α∞third␈α∞is␈α∞a␈α∞long␈α∞book␈α∞review␈α∞which␈α∞contains␈α∞my␈α∞only␈α∞statement␈α∂of␈α∞my
␈↓ ↓H␈↓own opinions on a number of issues.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        It␈α∂seems␈α∂to␈α∂me␈α∂that␈α∂the␈α∂1967␈α∂article␈α∂was␈α∂mistaken␈α∂in␈α∂its␈α∂estimate␈α∂of␈α∂the␈α∂pace␈α∂of␈α∞change.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Teilhard␈α
de␈α
Chardin's␈α
age␈α
of␈α
the␈α
No␈↓:␈↓osphere␈αhasn't␈α
happened␈α
yet,␈α
and␈α
I␈α
don't␈α
think␈α
it␈αwill␈α
happen
␈↓ ↓H␈↓for a while yet.  There are several reasons.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        1.␈α
The␈α
material␈α
side␈αof␈α
man's␈α
life␈α
remains␈α
more␈αimportant␈α
than␈α
he␈α
estimated.␈α
 The␈αability␈α
to
␈↓ ↓H␈↓compute␈α∞is␈α∞not␈α∞the␈α∞same␈α∞as␈α
the␈α∞ability␈α∞to␈α∞make␈α∞cars␈α∞and␈α
supply␈α∞them␈α∞with␈α∞gasoline␈α∞or␈α∞to␈α
grow
␈↓ ↓H␈↓food.␈α
 When␈α
full␈α
capability␈αrobots␈α
become␈α
available,␈α
this␈αwill␈α
change,␈α
but␈α
I␈αthink␈α
we␈α
are␈α
one␈αor
␈↓ ↓H␈↓more conceptual breakthroughs away from it yet.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        2.␈α
The␈α
freshman␈α
with␈α
a␈α
computer␈α
terminal␈α
is␈α
not␈α
yet␈α
the␈α
equal␈α
of␈α
a␈α
senior␈α
without␈α
it.␈α In␈α
the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓≡rst␈α⊂place,␈α∂access␈α⊂to␈α∂the␈α⊂terminal␈α∂still␈α⊂doesn't␈α∂give␈α⊂access␈α∂to␈α⊂many␈α∂sources␈α⊂of␈α⊂information.␈α∂ My
␈↓ ↓H␈↓dream␈αof␈α
terminal␈αaccess␈α
to␈αthe␈α
Library␈αof␈αCongress␈α
is␈αstill␈α
years␈αfrom␈α
being␈αrealized.␈α The␈α
second
␈↓ ↓H␈↓reason␈αis␈α
the␈αslow␈αprogress␈α
of␈αarti≡cial␈αintelligence␈α
again.␈α No␈αpresent␈α
computer␈αaids␈αcompare␈α
with
␈↓ ↓H␈↓a tutor in helpfulness to the freshman.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        3.␈αSome␈α
of␈αthe␈α
slow␈αprogress␈α
since␈α1967␈α
is␈αbecause␈α
of␈αfundamental␈α
scienti≡c␈αdi≠culties.␈α
 The
␈↓ ↓H␈↓hardware␈αof␈α1967␈αwasn't␈αup␈αto␈αour␈αdreams,␈αbut␈αthis␈αisn't␈αhe␈αmain␈αproblem␈αtoday,␈αalthough␈αcost␈αis
␈↓ ↓H␈↓still an important consideration.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        However,␈α
I␈α
think␈α∞a␈α
major␈α
reason␈α
for␈α∞the␈α
lack␈α
of␈α
progress␈α∞was␈α
the␈α
Cultural␈α∞Revolution␈α
in
␈↓ ↓H␈↓America,␈α⊂which␈α⊂was␈α⊂similar␈α∂in␈α⊂motivation,␈α⊂though␈α⊂not␈α⊂as␈α∂disastrous␈α⊂in␈α⊂result,␈α⊂to␈α⊂the␈α∂Cultural
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Revolution␈αin␈αChina.␈α A␈αgeneration␈αof␈αpeople␈αwho␈αmight␈αhave␈αcontributed␈αto␈αthe␈αdevelopment␈αof
␈↓ ↓H␈↓the␈αNo␈↓:␈↓osphere␈αdevoted␈αthemselves␈αto␈αsterile␈αideological␈αsquabbling,␈αand␈αwe␈αare␈αonly␈αbeginning␈αto
␈↓ ↓H␈↓recover from it.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        I hope this is of some interest, and the papers are of some use.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓αFr. Neil Hurley␈↓ ¬KSeptember 18, 1980␈↓ 
nPage 2␈↓ 



␈↓ ↓H␈↓Best regards,



␈↓ ↓H␈↓John McCarthy
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Director
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Professor of Computer Science