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> there would be no coherent thing for the button to do--even if it could read their thoughts--but to interrogate them for hours to get them to decide what they

> there would be no coherent thing for the button to do--even if it could read their thoughts--but to interrogate them for hours to get them to decide what they really want. Which is funny, because that's almost exactly what Bret suggested as a better way for less-technical people to create information-display software in an essay from '06: http://worrydream.com/MagicInk/#designing_a_design_tool http://worrydream.com/MagicInk/#designing_a_design_tool In short, to take examples given by the user and extrapolate them, letting the computer do the formalizing, and having it ask for clarification on unclear points. The rest of the essay is absolutely worth a read, by the way.

derefr 13y ago
That is, in fact, in a rather primitive way, what compilers do already; it's just very blunt and baroque, so instead of "please be more specific" you get an error message, and then you have to run it over again to get the next iteration of the feedback loop. The near-term goal in compiler/interpreter design (given still-textual languages) should be more of exactly this kind of interactive communication, where the compiler is "peering" with you to edit your code. But the full solution requires hard AI, really. "Build me the next Facebook" can't be extrapolated into anything useful unless the software itself can dream of what the "next" Facebook would be like. A human programmer probably already has those dreams on offer.
derefr 13y ago
(Also, I should note, the usual thrust of the "Do What I Mean" button joke is that the person wants to press it because they're tired of having to make choices. What they really are asking for is a Coherent Extrapolated Volition (http://intelligence.org/files/CEV.pdf http://intelligence.org/files/CEV.pdf) button: to cause the machine to, perhaps, simulate a bunch of copies of you, showing you a result for each combinatoric set of responses in parallel, and then pick the result which simulated-you likes most, without having to bother real you with any more questions.)

derefr 13y ago

That is, in fact, in a rather primitive way, what compilers do already; it's just very blunt and baroque, so instead of "please be more specific" you get an error message, and then you have to run it over again to get the next iteration of the feedback loop. The near-term goal in compiler/interpreter design (given still-textual languages) should be more of exactly this kind of interactive communication, where the compiler is "peering" with you to edit your code. But the full solution requires hard AI, really. "Build me the next Facebook" can't be extrapolated into anything useful unless the software itself can dream of what the "next" Facebook would be like. A human programmer probably already has those dreams on offer.

derefr 13y ago

(Also, I should note, the usual thrust of the "Do What I Mean" button joke is that the person wants to press it because they're tired of having to make choices. What they really are asking for is a Coherent Extrapolated Volition (http://intelligence.org/files/CEV.pdf http://intelligence.org/files/CEV.pdf) button: to cause the machine to, perhaps, simulate a bunch of copies of you, showing you a result for each combinatoric set of responses in parallel, and then pick the result which simulated-you likes most, without having to bother real you with any more questions.)