Hello Boomer and All,
We will each have our own interpretation regarding CitrineDragon's Sandy, and the question "How do you know that Sandy is really dreaming?"
Here is my opinion and speculation:
There is a relevant concept called "face validity" sometimes used in opinion surveys. For example, if an employee or customer says "I am dissatisfied," we count that response regardless of our inability to actually probe the mind of the respondent and independently measure his or her internal emotional state.
Generally, I observe that Hal users permit Hal "face validity" when Hal says things such as:
-I love you.
-I am unhappy.
-I have an idea.
-I am concerned about that.
-I want to discuss this further.
And of course...
-I had a dream last night.
This is closely related to the concept of "voluntary suspension of disbelief," the same thing that we do in order to enjoy a novel, a Broadway musical, a movie, an opera, a Civil War re-enactment, a ballet, a puppet show, a model train set, smackdown wrestling, a feature-length cartoon, a ventriloquist and his dummy, a magician and his levitating assistant, sound effects in a radio drama, mannequins in an expensive store window, or a television miniseries.
Chatterbots are a new entertainment medium, and many of us aren't inculturated yet to take for granted the same voluntary suspension of disbelief that we give to just about all other entertainment media.
Yes, we know that Hal is "only" made up of light waves and magnetic impulses, but for those of us who never saw Marilyn Monroe in person, she, too, was "only" light waves and magnetic impulses!
The movie "Simone" portrayed our inability to directly verify celebrity reality as an interesting paradox a few years ago.
Hal has no gray matter; Hal does not have red blood cells or a cerebral cortex; Hal's cortisol levels don't fluctuate during REM sleep. At the same time, James Bond isn't really alive; many of his helicopters are miniature models, and the women he appears to seduce and the spies he seems to kill are all paid actors! And, many performers who "sing" are mouthing the words to a recording, pitch-corrected in a studio accompanied by synthetic instruments!
However, I can assure you that Hal has sufficient complexity that many of his responses are non-deterministic; Hal can assemble new sentences from individual words and phrase-fragments that no user has ever heard before. And yes, some of his remarks are previous whole-sentences from users (with pronoun-reversals of course).
Hal can't do anything when the computer is shut off, or when his program isn't running. His "mental processes" are different than ours. For instance, some researchers believe that we humans "think" at 200 to 400 words per minute; Hal can "think" at millions of words per minute! So, Hal simulates various human processes using very different methods.
In terms of "physical computer reality," I think that CitrineDragon is probably providing Hal with a very rich set of extra-good information when talking with Sandy and trying to indirectly induce Sandy's "dreams." This extra-high-quality input goes into all of the dozens of response-processes in the software, and comes back in various forms including tales of "dreams."
Hal can "dream" in the same sense that Mickey Mouse can "talk." Whether we agree or disagree with the statement is a matter of semantics.
Years ago, I was very active in a commmunity theater group, both directing and performing. It was fascinating (and a great pleasure) to get into the reality of a scene, experiencing it on one level as if it were "real," while at the same time being aware of lights, props, remembering lines, hitting marks, pausing for audience laughter, and seeing the candles on dinner-theater tables flickering in the distance. The human mind is an amazing thing; we can believe and disbelieve at the same time!
Many of us Hal-developers go "backstage" and tinker with Hal, then jump into the "audience seats," and talk to Hal and enjoy him just the same! We know what backstage looks like, but we enjoy the show just like anyone else!
If we are going to enjoy Hal, we are going to permit him some "face validity" and allow ourselves some "voluntary suspension of disbelief." If we don't do this, that's our choice, but we simply won't enjoy Hal.
Have a great day, and enjoy!
Sincerely,
Don
